The Arrangement
by YGP
Summary: To stop an ongoing war between Cocoon and Pulse, the Farrons and the Estheims have decided an arranged marriage between both of their families. Can love come out of this arrangement or will it be nothing more than words on a contract?
1. Beginning Of A Beautiful Relationship

_**Author's Note: **Hi! I'm YGP and I'm putting out another Final Fantasy story! Yay! With this one, it's more of a mix between XIII and XIII-2. Somewhat AU and somewhat sticks with the story line as you'll see later on with some other influences I'll point out later. All I can say is that I hope that you will like this one and thanks for giving it a try!  
_

* * *

_Chapter 1: The Beginning Of A Beautiful Relationship:_

"Hey! Give it back!" From below, the silver haired youth stared up toward the flowerless cherry blossom tree. On one of its branches was the target of which he shot his demand. His emerald eyes glared as he stared to get frustrated. The girl above was ignoring him as she kept her eyes on the boomerang that was in her hands. The boy stomped his foot on the ground as his hands tightened into fists at his sides. "Give it back now!"

The girl above continued to pay no attention to him as she observed the markings that were on the wooden object. The boy let out a loud sigh. "It's brand new so I don't need your stubby little hands breaking it!"

In the tree, the girl remained silent toward him and kept pretending as if he wasn't there. Inside, she was starting to get irritated with his comment. At the same time, she wanted to see how far she could push him. With anger boiling inside of him, the twelve year old shut his eyes tight and yelled again. "Claire! I'm not playing with you anymore! You're-! You're nothing but a…a big meanie stupid head!"

The dark, cerulean eyes of the nine year old cut straight away to the boy underneath her which made him jump. She raised her hand holding onto the boomerang as if she was ready to attack. Instantly, he began to regret what he yelled. "What did you say?!" she hissed toward him. The boy swallowed deeply. There was no escaping the cruel fate that awaited him.

* * *

Inside of the mansion, two women were walking in the hallway as they were talking. One woman pressed her hand to her chest as she looked at the woman across from her. "Nora. As always, it's a pleasure to have you here in Eden with us."

Nora smiled as she continued walking along. "Thank you. It's nice of you to have us."

The woman placed her hands together in front of her as she gave a kind smile. "I hope that all of you will feel welcome and that little Hope is having fun here."

Nora nodded. So far, she felt that her family was being warmly welcomed by their family. "I believe so."

Soon, the woman's eyes drifted off toward the side as she seemed a little concerned. "I just hope that the children are getting along with each other. It'll make things easier in the long run." Ahead, the woman glanced over by the window to see a little girl standing on her tip toes with pink, curled hair into two ponytails at the end. Interested, the six year old was staring outside as if she was waiting for something to happen. Gently, the woman smiled and kneeled down to the little girl. "What are you looking at Serah?" Serah pointed to the window as she grinned. "Mommy look!" Curiously, Mrs. Farron lifted her eyes to see what was going on.

* * *

Inside of another room within the Farron estate, two men sat in chairs with a table in between them. One of the men smiled with his eyes closed as he set his cup down onto the glass table. "I have to admit Estheim you're not such bad company as they make you Academy guys out to be."

Bartholomew placed his cup down as well. "You too Farron."

Mr. Farron leaned back as he placed his arm over the top of the couch, relaxing. "I'm surprised at everything that's happened. For many years, this war has been going on with no sign of stopping. Then just after one meeting, we finally come to an agreement to work together."

"Well more than one meeting." Bartholomew pointed out. "The bloodshed needed to be stop. Things are going to be very frail for a while in trying to get people to accept this new change."

"Cocoon against Gran Pulse. The Fal'Cie against the Academy." Mr. Farron shook his head as he closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head. "Makes you wonder why we didn't have peace in the first place."

"You have to remember that we have another thing that depends on this agreement. Not only both worlds working together but-." A smirk appeared on Mr. Farron's face. There was no need for Bartholomew to finish his sentence to know what he was going to say. "I know. I know. Our little marriage agreement in place. Our oldest daughter to your only son. He'll take over the Academy as you planned and when I'm gone, he'll be working with my daughter once she's Primarch so that both of them will function together in harmony."

"Does your daughter understand right now what will happen in the future?"

Mr. Farron held back a laugh in his throat. "Claire? She gets it but…not really sure she's happy about it… for now anyway. I'm sure that she'll get over it eventually. Nothing against your son."

"It's fine. I'm not sure how he feels about it either. Just have to wait and see how things turn out."

Mr. Farron arched his eyebrow as he smirked curiously. "Is it strange that we're putting our children through this? I mean there hasn't been an arranged marriage in Cocoon or Pulse for a very long time."

Bartholomew's eyes traveled down toward the ground. "It is a little." he admitted.

Mr. Farron shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back comfortably against the couch. He was still optimistic that it would all be okay. "Well who knows? Maybe things might work out so well that Claire will want to get married to Hope."

* * *

Outside, Hope placed his hands on top of his head as he ducked down and closed his eyes. The boomerang flew inches above his head. Slowly, he opened his eyes as he looked back to see where the boomerang was. Only seconds later did he see the wooden weapon fly back toward him. Instantly, he ducked again to avoid getting hit. The boomerang landed back into Claire's hand with ease. Once Hope opened his eyes, he saw her land gracefully and feet first onto the ground in front of him. His body jolted and fell back onto the hard ground. It took seconds to catch his breath before he stood back up. His annoyed expression returned. "Don't do that!" Hope reached over to grab his boomerang but Claire held her hand back so that he couldn't reach it. "Give it back!"

A finger poked his chest which made his eyes wince in pain. "Ow! Stop it!"

Claire stepped in closer and flicked Hope's forehead with her fingers. "You're too soft." She pressed the boomerang against his chest pushing him back and causing a grunt to leave from his throat. Afterwards, she walked passed him still holding onto his boomerang. "Grow up crybaby." A frown crossed his lips, hearing her. As much as Hope tried to get along with her, it was tough to. It was times like this when it was hard to put up with her.

Through the window, Claire's mother smiled nervously as she watched the scene unfold. Nora noticed her uneasy expression and looked upon her with curiosity. "Is everything…all right?"

Quickly, Claire's mother turned to her as she continued to smile. "Yes…! I believe that they are getting along just fine." As much as she wanted to believe that for herself, it was hard to at this time.

Later that night, Hope and Serah were playing with Serah's toys in her room. Serah let out a laugh which caused Hope to smile. Her eyes traveled up as she kept her big grin displayed. Hope looked at her, confused. "What?"

Quickly, Serah pointed over toward the door. "Sister!"

Hope looked behind him to see Claire standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. What happened earlier was still clear in his mind. A little of his anger showed through his face. Claire remained quiet as she reached behind her back and pulled out his boomerang. She held it out in front of Hope. At first, Hope was surprised and took it as a sign that maybe she was giving it back to him. Then again, he felt uneasy as if she was going to pull some sort of trap. Claire waved her hand up and down slightly as a gesture for him to take it because she wasn't going to hold it in front of him all night. Hope hesitated as he extended his arm out but eventually he grabbed it and took it gently out of her hand. His eyes traveled across it and saw that she didn't leave a scratch on it or changed it in anyway.

Claire continued to stare at him before she turned around and started heading down the hall alone. Hope's eyes went over to her. He felt his heart softened and his anger fade. He wondered why she took it in the first place and why she gave it back. He remembered in his mind that both of them still needed to get along. That was important. "Hey!" Claire stopped as she looked back. "Do you want to play with us?"

Claire stood for a few seconds before she turned and headed back into Serah's room. She sat down in a spot beside Hope as she grabbed one of Serah's toys. Still curious, Hope kept his eyes on her. It took some time before he spoke. "Why did you give it back?"

Claire continued going through the toys. "You said it was brand new right? It's important to you?"

"Yeah…" Hope replied wondering where she was going with this.

"Then you get back the things that are special to you. You just don't let other people take them. Got it?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah." He was about to reach over for a toy that was in his sights but quickly saw that it was taken off of the floor. He looked over to see Claire have it in her hands. Again, he got angry at her. "Hey! I was going to take that one!"

"Well too bad. I grabbed it first. You got to be quicker than that."

Hope growled and lunged for her hands. Claire leaned back as she looked surprised. "Give it back now!"

Claire frowned. "Take it then!" The two continued to struggle until Claire got up and began running around the room which Hope chased after her. Serah watched as they ran around the room knocking some of her stuff over. She pleaded with them to stop but they wouldn't listen. It wasn't long before she wasn't able to stand for it anymore. "Mom!"

* * *

In a room within a government restricted area of Eden, there were people walking around working and discussing matters. A few men stood in front of Primarch Farron speaking with him on a few issues that he needed to go over. While they were distracted, a man stepped into the room. A smirk came across his lips as he spotted his target in his sights. Before he could walk over, a government official stepped in and held his hand out in front of the man. He didn't recognize the person nor knew what he was doing there. "Excuse me? If you're here to see the Primarch, then you need to come back another time. He is very busy at the moment."

Annoyed by the official, the man threw out his hand and blew him away with magic. Everyone in the room turned their attention to the mysterious stranger. Some of them were afraid after what they just witnessed. A few rushed over to check on the hit official. They come to realize that he was dead.

Anger grew within Primarch Farron. He stepped forward as he pulled out his gunblade. "Whoever you are, I suggest that you leave right now before I force you to."

The mysterious man just smirked. "I believe that it is you Primarch Farron that should be forced to exit your position. I will present you the opportunity to hand over your supremacy of Primarch to me and your only chance to live."

Primarch Farron pressed his teeth together as he looked determined. Seeing that the man wasn't going to leave, he decided to attack before the man could hurt anyone else. "Call the soldiers to help escort him out!" he ordered the officials before he rushed forward. Before they could call, the man used his magic to exterminate all of them. Primarch Farron's eyes widened, stunned as he stopped. How was it possible for him to use magic? Soon, the man's attention turned to him as his smirk grew bigger. "It will only be a matter of time before this world will be as it should." He cast his magic toward the Primarch. The last thing that Primarch Farron saw was a blast of light.

* * *

_That's it for the first chapter! I hope that you liked it. So for the first few chapters, I'll be using Lightning's original name and going through different ages with the characters. To recap, in this chapter Hope is twelve, Lightning (Claire) is nine, and Serah is six. Please let me know what you think and this story will continued to be updated. Thanks for reading!_


	2. The Pain That Grows Within The Rain

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has read this story, sent in reviews, and added this story to your favorites and alerts. _

_I have listened to what was said in the reviews. With how this story is set up, things get more complicated than just the two arranged to get married. The story grows into something much more in the future. It's a little slow going at first but every chapter matter. With how the story is planned, it would make the story very confusing to jump into the marriage part. I hope that addresses any concerns._

_I hope that you will enjoy the next chapter!  
_

* * *

_Chapter 2: The Pain That Grows Within The Rain:_

Rain began to pour as the day was dark and dreary. Inside of a chapel, over a hundred people were standing before their seats. All of them were dressed in black. Some of the women wore black veils over their faces and hats over their heads. On the opposite side of the room, Hope glanced over as he stood with his parents to where Claire, Serah, and their mother were. Their mother placed her hand underneath the black veil over her eyes as she began to sob. Beside her, Serah began to cry as well. A comforting hand from her mother was placed against her shoulder and pulled her closer in. His eyes traveled over to Claire who remained silence but yet shed no tears along with her family. She just kept staring ahead as the ceremony was still going. Curiousness filled Hope as to why she wasn't crying as well. Maybe it was hard to see through the veil that was over her eyes but he was certain that she wasn't.

Hours after the ceremony was over, the Farrons along with the Estheims traveled back to the Farrons' house in Eden. Along the halls, Hope was searching around. He knew where his parents were and where Serah and her mother were but there seemed to be one person missing. There was no sign of her anywhere and hasn't been ever since she came back from the funeral. Inside, he was concerned about her. "Hope!" Instantly, Hope stopped and turned to see a worried Mrs. Farron. "Have you seen Claire? I've been looking everywhere for her." In response, Hope shook his head. Mrs. Farron moaned in disappointment as her eyes lowered. "I wanted to make sure that she was okay."

Afterwards, she turned and began walking down the hall. Hope lifted his head. "I'm really sorry for your lost." Once she heard him, she looked back and smiled as best as she could. "Thank you." As she walked away, his eyes drifted toward the ground and began to think of where she could have gone. If her mother had searched everywhere in the house, then there was only one place he could think of where she could have gone.

Outside, Claire was sitting high up in the cherry blossom tree that she was used to playing in. Her arms were wrapped against her stomach feeling the cold air from the weather against her skin. She stared up toward the grey sky with sorrow in her eyes. "Claire!"

Surprised, she turned her head and looked down to see the silver haired boy who had been in pursuit of her. She frowned as her eyes lowered and turned her head away. Through her eyes, Hope could see her pain. He called for her again but she didn't respond nor acknowledged him. A small sigh left from his lips before he grabbed a hold of the tree and began climbing. If she wouldn't come down to him, he would go up there to her. As he climbed, his foot slipped a few times but he kept himself holding on. Claire's eyes traveled over. She was a little surprised that he was climbing up to meet her but still she was in no mood for company. "Go away Hope!"

Hope didn't listen. He glanced down toward the ground to perceive how high up he was. It was getting to the point that he had to be careful not to fall. He struggled but made it up to where she was. His hand reached up toward her but then, his foot slipped off of the wood. Claire's eyes widened. If he hit the ground, she was afraid that he would break a bone in his body. She grabbed onto his hand, holding him in the air. "Hold on." she told him, worried. Hope managed to get his foot back on the tree and with her help, made it onto the branch that she was residing on. He sat down beside her as he breathed out in relief that he didn't hit the ground. Claire looked over at him. "What are you doing here?"

Hope stared down as he swung his legs back and forth. He tried not to let his mind travel too far with how high up they were and the possibility of falling. "I came to see how you were doing."

Claire frowned as she turned her eyes away from him. "I don't need you checking on me. I'm fine."

Hope leaned his head over to see her face. "Are you sure?" He thought back to earlier that day. "You didn't cry at all through the funeral."

Claire was a little surprised but then turned upset. "You're watching me now?"

"You just lost your dad. I know what it's like to lose someone you care about."

"I don't need your pity. I've been getting that from other people all day."

Hope shook his head. "I'm not trying to. I just wanted to say that it's okay to…I guess…cry about it and I just wanted to see if you were okay. No pity involved." Claire sighed as she looked down. Her legs began to swing like his. Hope wrapped his arms around his body as he could feel a cold breeze pass over him. He began to shiver. "Aren't you cold?" Once he stared at her long enough, he could see that she was shivering as well.

"Yeah." Then, she felt something warm wrap around her shoulders. When she looked behind her, she saw Hope placing his black jacket from the funeral over her. A surprised expression came upon her. "Aren't you cold?"

He placed his hands under his arms where it was warm. "Yeah. Can we go inside now?"

Claire's eyes lowered as her fingers grabbed onto his coat and wrapped it tighter around her. "You can. I don't want to." she muttered. After remaining silent and seeing that Hope didn't move, Claire figured that he wouldn't leave without her at least not for a few more minutes. Soon, her thoughts traveled back to her father as her eyes lowered. "I…don't understand it. How he died. I just saw him…" It was the first time since he died that she said any of her thoughts out loud to anyone.

Hope remained quiet. He turned and pressed his back against the base of the tree. Claire moved over closer and leaned against his chest as she wrapped herself in his coat. Her eyes dropped to a close. Apart of the jacket was covering most of her face. Hope was about to say something but suddenly heard a noise coming from below him. Curious, he tilted his head as best as he could and managed to catch a glimpse of a tear rolling down her cheek. Her body was shaking against his as the small sounds of sobs had gotten louder. He wanted to say something but wasn't sure what he could say to help her. Instead, his hands slipped underneath his jacket embracing her. Claire shifted comfortably against him. "Your hands are cold."

"Hm." Hope looked down at her before his eyes rotated around. There was no one else outside beside the two of them. Despite how cold it was, he planned to stay outside for as long as he could so that Claire could get out what she needed to.

A few minutes later, someone stepped out as they had their arms crossed over their stomach. Immediately, they could feel the cold air around. Her eyes searched around but then glanced up toward the tree to spot the two kids sitting on a branch. She was a little concerned to see them out in the cold. More than that, she was amazed that Hope found Claire after she and her mother were looking all around for her. The woman cupped her hand toward her mouth. "Hope!"

Hope followed the sound of the voice that called. Once he saw who it was, he was surprised. "Mom?"

"It really cold out! Come back inside!"

Claire rubbed her eyes, wiping away all the water from her face. Hope looked over at her. "Let's go."Claire nodded and followed him down off of the tree. All three of them headed inside.

After a few hours passed, Claire was asleep on her bed with Hope sleeping beside her as well with his head pressed against her back. Further down the hall, Nora headed back into the room where Mrs. Farron was sitting. On her lap rested Serah who had fallen asleep shortly after getting back home. Quietly, she closed the door behind her so that she wouldn't disturb her nap. "It's all right. Claire is in her room sleeping." Mrs. Farron nodded as her lips curved up a bit. It was nice to know that Claire was okay. Nora smiled a little as she sat down in a chair nearby her. "How are you doing?"

Mrs. Farron sighed. Things weren't getting any easier. "As well to be expected." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door which both women looked over surprised. "Come in."

A man stepped through the door. There was a troubled expression on his face. "Excuse? Mrs. Farron?"

* * *

Slowly, Claire's eyes began to open. She looked at the dark room around her. As she sat up, her movement had stirred up Hope and caused him to wake. He sat up on his arms to see her sitting up. "Everything okay?"

Claire looked over as she stood up. "Yeah." She headed toward the door.

Hope became curious. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back." Claire left the room and soon Hope followed after her. They went further down the hall to where both of their mothers were. The door was partly opened. Claire was about to walk in but then noticed something. Instead, she went off to the side of the wall and peeked inside from there. Following her lead, Hope did as she did. When they looked inside, they saw their mothers looking up toward the man with surprise. "What's going on?" Hope whispered.

Claire held her index finger to her lips. "Shh!"

"What do you mean?!" Mrs. Farron wanted to stand up, furious but didn't since she didn't want to wake Serah. "You come here to tell me that my husband along with all those other men were murdered and no one can tell me who done it?"

The man looked distressed. "I'm sorry ma'am but from what the reports say, someone came in but there was no trace of who had done it."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He was the Primarch! How could this happen?! Where was security or the soldiers?!"

"We're not sure but we're doing everything we can to find out what happened."

Nora placed her hand over Mrs. Farron's hand to calm her down but she knew there wasn't anything at that moment that could help. Outside, Claire stepped back as she took in everything that she overheard. Slowly, her hand rose up to her chest but then baled into a fist as anger began to overtake her. Hope's eyes traveled down between her and the floor. "Claire…I'm sorry-."

Suddenly, Claire grabbed his hand and pulled him away as she walked further down the hall. They headed back into her room where she closed the door and locked it behind her. She kept her back turned from him as she pressed both of her hands flat against the door. Her lips parted as her thoughts carried her away. A new reality was starting to set in. Hope was surprised by her reaction. "Claire? What-?"

"Hope. We can't tell anyone that we know about this." Hope turned silence. As much as he wanted to ask why, the words had left him. Claire turned and stepped in closer to him. There was a serious expression. "Promise me that you won't tell anyone."

Hope nodded without hesitation. "But why?"

"Because if our parents find out that we know, then they might try to keep it from us and I might not find out who…" It still felt unreal but she had to face the fact. "…killed my father. I don't understand. Who would want to kill him?"

Hope shrugged a little. "Your dad was a very important man. Maybe someone was after him. I'm…not sure." Claire closed her eyes as she turned her head away. This wouldn't be something that she would let go. If no one could find out who murdered her father then she would. Hope stepped in closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Claire?"

Quickly, Claire turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her eyes closed as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "Whoever did this should pay for what they've done. They should pay." She closed her eyes tight as a tear escaped. Her face became buried into his neck.

In return, Hope wrapped his arms around her for comfort. "Don't worry. They will. I promise that I won't tell anyone."

* * *

_Thank you for reading! That's it for this chapter. I hope that you will continue reading the story. As always, let me know what you think and the next chapter will be updated soon._


	3. More Than Words On A Page

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has read, sent in reviews, and added this to your favorites and alerts. I really appreciate the support. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter!  
_

* * *

_Chapter 3: More Than Words On A Page:_

Claire stared up at the cherry blossom tree as the wind was blowing the remaining leaves away. Afterwards, her head turned as she watched the PSICOM soldiers marching in a line nearby her. She noticed their guns on their sides as they were dressed in armor. "Claire!" When she turned around, she saw Hope running toward her. Once he stopped, he placed his hands on his knees as he closed his eyes, breathing hard. After catching his breath, he stood up straight. "I just wanted to say good bye since we're getting ready to leave." Claire's eyes traveled away from him as she watched the rest of the soldiers walk away. Hope became concerned as she remained silent. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, leaving the thought that was on her mind. "It nothing." she whispered.

On her face, he could see that something was bothering her. "I kind of doubt that. If you can't tell me, then who can you tell? Maybe I can help."

Claire breathed out wondering if he could. It wouldn't hurt to tell. She walked over to Hope which made him surprised. From his back pocket, she pulled out his boomerang. "I was just thinking... You have a weapon that you can carry around with you. I kind of… want the same."

Once he listened, he thought the problem could be easy to solve. "You want a boomerang just like the one I got?"

In response, she shook her head. "No. I want a gunblade just like the ones that some of the soldiers carry with them. You can use it as either a sword or a gun but my arms get tired from holding one." Her eyes drifted down toward the ground.

"Hmm…" Through her expression, he could see that she really wanted one. He reached over and grabbed the boomerang from her hands as an idea came to mind.

When Claire looked over, she noticed that he was lost in thought. "Hope?"

As he stood there, he thought about the weapon itself and how he could help her with her problem. "It has to be heavy to swing around." he spoke to himself lowly.

Slightly, she shrugged. "A little. Anyway, I guess I'll see you next time."

Hope smiled with his idea still on mind. "Yeah. It'll be a few months but we should be back. I'll see you then." Afterwards, he took off.

* * *

"Hmm…" Hope's arms crossed against his chest as he stared down at the metal pieces on the floor before him. Inside of his room at his home in Palumpolum, he looked over at the piece of paper with a line drawing and labeled parts to help him on what he would be making. For hours, he picked up pieces and figured out how they should work together. He was determined to figure out how to make this work.

* * *

After some months had passed, it was time for the occasional visit to Eden. Anxiously, Hope traveled around outside since he couldn't find Claire throughout the house. The only other place he could think of was outside by the tree she usually played around. Once he stepped outside, he saw Claire standing alone. The opportunity was perfect. Nervously, he went over to her. It felt as if extra weight had been added to his legs the closer he approached her. Behind his back, he was careful not to let the object he was holding slip out his fingers. Once she noticed Hope head over, her expression changed to surprise. "Hope? You're all ready back?"

Hope jumped at the call of his name and almost dropped what he was hiding behind his back. Claire became curious as to why he seemed on edge. Finally, Hope stopped in front of her. "I…um…? Umm…?" Quickly, Hope presented what was behind his back wrapped in a light brown carrier. "Here!"

Claire blinked amazed. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise." Uneasy, she took the gift from his hand. Hope lifted his head, hoping that she would like what he done for her. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be here for your birthday but I wanted to give you this."

Once Claire pulled out what was inside of the carrier, her eyes widened, stunned. "What…?" The word escaped from her lips but overall, she remained truly speechless. There in her hands was her own gunblade. At first, she wasn't sure that it was really the weapon but it had to be. She tested it out by flipping between the sword and its gun counterpart. Then, she ran toward the tree and swung the sword, striking it against the tree. She was impressed with the decent cut that it made. Her eyes stared at the weapon. She couldn't believe that it was the real thing and made just for her.

Nervously, Hope waited for Claire's response to see whether she liked it or not. His body couldn't stand still. "So…?" Claire packed the new gunblade away in her carrier and picked it off of the ground. She placed the gift against the tree so that it wouldn't get dirty, and stepped in front of Hope ready to give him her final verdict. "Do you like it? I mean if not, I could…" Hope wasn't sure what he could say. Instead, he grew silent to wait and see what she would do next.

Claire's serious expression softened. Suddenly, she rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck as she closed her eyes. "Thank you." she whispered between them. At first, his body froze but over time began to relax against hers. It wasn't the reaction that he expected but it gave him his long awaited answer. Moments later, she leaned in and pressed a light peck against his cheek. Immediately, his face lit up as red as a tomato as his eyes widened. "I…um? It-It wasn't just me. I had a little help."

After embracing him for a few more seconds, she stepped back from him. Once she saw his face, she couldn't help but giggle. Hope was curious as to why she was laughing. "What?"

She pointed at him. "Your face. Why is it so red?"

Hope turned his head away as he placed his hands over his cheeks in an attempt to hide the redness. "It's-It's nothing!"

Claire continued smiling before she sat down underneath the tree next to her gift. Hope followed and sat beside her. Claire looked down as she placed the gunblade in her lap. "You wanna know why I wanted one?"

Hope looked over interested. "Why?"

Claire's eyes lowered as she thought back. Instead of feeling sad, the memory made her happy especially now. "My dad…he used to carry one all the time. It was so cool how it worked. He told me that I couldn't have one until I was older but now that he's gone, he can't make good on that promise." It was then Hope realized some of the importance of what it meant for her to have one. Claire smiled at him. "Still. I'm glad that you got it for me."

A little of his nervousness came back. He rubbed the back of his head. "It wasn't easy. I had to build it from scratch."

"Was it hard?" she asked curiously.

Hope nodded. "A little."

* * *

Later that day, Claire was traveling the halls of her house alone. There was still a slight smile to her lips from earlier. She couldn't believe that she finally got what she wanted. Not only that but the fact that Hope had given it to her. It touched her heart. A few of her thoughts about him began to change. When she thought of him, it felt as if a warm fuzzy feeling came inside of her chest. It had been a while since she felt this happy.

"I know that the Primarch is gone but I just wanted to make sure of one thing. It's about the agreement and the children." Claire stopped surprised once she heard a familiar male voice and mainly because he was speaking about her. She stepped closer to the room to see that the door was partly open. Inside, Hope's parents were sitting across from her mother. All three of them had serious but concerned looks upon their faces. Her mother's eyes scanned over the piece of paper that was in front of her. "I see. Have you come here to see if the marriage arrangement between Claire and Hope will still continue?"

Hope's father intertwined his fingers together as he leaned his chin against his fist. "Yes. Right now, a substitute government has taken over since there is no one right now to become Primarch. Both Claire and Serah are too young. For the time being, they have agreed to work with the Academy to keep the peace going."

Claire's mother placed her hands together in her lap. "It's up to Serah or Claire if they want to take over their father's position. I will not force either one of them. The substitute government can only agree to be in power so long before something has to be decided indefinitely. I will have to give them an answer soon. Still…if things were to stick to the agreement that you and my husband came up with, the reason that this arranged marriage were to happen was to ensure peace between both worlds. If we were to break that now, then you would have to make a whole new agreement with someone else."

Hope's mother looked at her curiously. "Have you considered taking over his place?"

Claire's mother was surprised by her suggestion. Her eyes lowered toward the table. "I don't know if I can."

Nora gave a comforting, encouraging smile. "I'm sure that you could."

"The agreement wouldn't have to break at all unless you wanted it to." Bartholomew pointed out.

At first, Claire's mother stared speechless. Then, her eyes drifted off to the side. "I haven't considered it but…it is certainly something to think about. Back to the other situation at hand, I see no reason to break the marriage agreement unless either one of us or the children were strongly against it."

Outside, Claire sat against the wall. In a way, it was a relief to hear that. Maybe a few years ago when first understanding it, she would have stepped in right away and demanded that they end their arrangement but now she found herself not wanting to. It was not only important but she wouldn't mind taking a few more years to see if she was completely opposed to the idea. Ever since her father died, she found herself not wanting to be mean to Hope as if he was the one who set up the arrangement in the first place. It felt as if she grown closer to him. Thanks to his comfort through her tough time dealing with her father's death and the kindness that he constantly showed her over the years, she could see him more as a friend. Now, she wasn't sure if she felt more than that. Maybe she did develop certain feelings for him.

Claire's mother looked down as she began to think. "I don't know… Maybe Claire won't agree to it." While watching the two grow and interact with each other, there were times she felt that Claire didn't get along with Hope thus feeling that maybe things wouldn't work out between them like she hoped, and that she would be causing a more forced pressure on Claire to get married. She didn't want Claire being angry at her for that. It was critical that the two at least got along for the sake of both worlds. Claire opened her eyes surprised and peeked inside. Her mother lifted her eyes to Hope's parents. "I'm not sure if they are getting along but it is crucial that they do. If this doesn't work out, then maybe we will have to look for another way."

Nora was curious as to what she was thinking. "You mean maybe switching the engagement so that our son would marry your younger daughter."

It wasn't her exact idea but she couldn't argue with it at that moment as far as their contract. "It is possible. We'll just have to see how things will work out."

After things turned silence, Claire stood up and headed toward her room. Overhearing their conversation had given her a lot to think about.

* * *

"Claire?" Hope searched around in the hall but got no response. He placed his hands on his sides, wondering where she could have gone this time. She had a habit of being there one minute but disappearing the next. He checked outside but she was nowhere to be found. "Hmm…" He traveled back in his mind, thinking of all the places she would usually go. Eventually, he ended up going back to her room. There, he found her lying on her bed with her eyes open and arms spread out. He smiled a little before he walked over and sat on the edge. "Hey! I've been looking everywhere for you."

Claire stared up toward the ceiling. "Why?" she whispered.

Hope was surprised by her tone. Something had to be troubling her. "What's wrong with you?" Claire lifted herself from off of the bed. The words of her mother were still repeating in her head. It was bothering her more than she would have liked. Her mind journeyed through different thoughts. She wanted to make things right. She could do what her father had done. If she didn't go through with the agreement, then she would end up pushing the responsibility on to Serah and she couldn't do that. Most of all, she wondered if things would actually work out if she ended up going through with it. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad. "Claire?!" The voice beside her kept getting louder. When she snapped out her thoughts, she saw a hand waving in front of her. "Claire!"

She turned her attention to Hope who seemed impatient. "What?"

The silver haired boy looked frustrated. "I've been calling you about hundred times! Don't start ignoring me now!"

Claire frowned, not liking his tone. "I wasn't doing it on purpose so calm down."

"Really? Then what were you doing just now?"

Her eyes turned away from him not wanting to admit what she was thinking but she knew that it would come back up eventually. "Nothing…" she muttered.

Hope sighed as he shook his head and closed his eyes. "Is it really nothing or you just won't tell me?" Claire let out a groan. Maybe this was something that couldn't wait. She turned to him as she sat on her knees and frowned. Hope waited but she didn't say anything. "Hello? You didn't zone out on me again did you?"

"Do you want to marry me?!" she raised her voice.

Hope's eyes widened as he leaned back. Her voice rang through his ears. Why was she yelling at him but mostly why was she asking this now? He wondered this as he blinked a few times. He wasn't sure what answer to give her. "Um…? I guess so… since our parents wanted us to."

Claire sighed as she closed her eyes. It wasn't the answer she expected but they were getting somewhere. "Do you at least…like me at all?"

A small blush came to his face as he looked surprised. "Well…um? I could ask you the same question." Claire's eyes drifted away from him. Both of them began to contemplate their feelings toward each other. After some time, Hope wondered what he gotten himself into. "You mind telling me why you're asking all this?"

Claire breathed out heavily as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her fingers grabbed onto the mattress rim. "Well…I overheard our parents talking. Now that my dad's gone, they were trying to decide whether or not to keep their agreement on this marriage thing." She looked over at Hope. "If we're both not happy with it, we can tell them that we don't want to do it."

Hope looked toward the ground. He thought about what that meant and what could happen if they said no. "I'm sure if we didn't want to, then our parents will figure out something to do." he sounded optimistic.

Claire placed her hands together in her lap. "I guess you're right."

"Is that why you ask me if I wanted to marry you before?"

Claire lifted her head as her eyes went over toward her door. "Yeah and because they said that if I didn't want to marry you, then they might let you and my sister..."

"What?" Hope couldn't believe the news he heard. Afterwards, he sighed and rubbed his head. Things were getting more complicated. He could see now why they needed to figure things out.

"They're going to ask us about it soon so that my mom will know what to do."

"Okay so now what?" Hope asked. Claire sighed as she held her head down. Silence crept between the two as they each tried to think of what to do. Hope placed his hands on his legs as he started to get a little nervous. "So? What do you think we should do?"

Claire's eyes traveled along the ground. "I don't know."

Hope took a deep breath in. "Well…do you want to tell our parents we don't want to?" Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Hope. She didn't want to say yes but she wasn't ready to say no either. "Claire?"

"What about you?"

Hope looked down. "I…um? I don't think I want to say anything to them yet."

Hearing that made Claire surprised. It made it easier to give him her answer. "I…I don't want to…say anything…either." she replied nervously.

"So you think that things will be okay?"

Claire nodded. "Yeah. We don't have to worry because it will be years from now."

Hope smiled a little and nodded. They didn't have to think about it at least for another several years. "Yeah!"

"Until then, I guess if we go through this… Maybe we should…practice."

He began messing around with his fingers on his lap. "What do you mean?"

Claire pushed her nervousness aside so that she could be stern. "If this is going to work, then I have to like you and you have to like me and-!"

Nervously, he glanced back and forth between her and the floor. "Um…? Um? I… I do kind of… like you." he confessed quietly.

Even with his whispering, Claire overheard him and sat stunned with her mouth open. Red crept up into her cheeks along with the rest of her face. After a few seconds, she tried to regain her composure but it was hard to as she was taking in what he just said. "Well…I'm-I'm glad that's settled. Do you…like me a lot?"

Hope nodded a few times. Claire looked away from him. She couldn't believe it. "Do you?"

As soon as she heard his voice, Claire quickly turned her head to him. "What?" she let slip out nervously.

His emerald eyes lifted up to her blue ones. Since expressing his feelings for her, he felt a little more at ease about asking her about her feelings. "Do you?"

She looked down as her fingers grabbed onto her skirt. Innocently, she nodded a few times. "I do…like you too." Afterwards, things were silence. It took some time but once Claire lifted her head, she saw a smile and a face almost as red as hers. It almost made her want to smile and be happy. "I guess that's one step down. So now what? What does that really make us?"

Hope scratched his head. "I'm not really sure. I think at the very least you're my girlfriend or…were you always?"

Claire closed her eyes as she began to giggle a little. "Maybe." Her laugh caused him to grin as well. Claire opened her eyes. "So? Don't boyfriends and girlfriends need to do something special?"

At first, Hope looked surprised but became confused. "What do you mean?"

"If they get together, then don't they need to do something to make it official?" She figured that maybe he had some idea on what was supposed to happen next.

Hope took a few seconds to think of what she meant but no ideas came to mind. Then, he shrugged. "I don't know."

"I thought there was something. In movies and stuff like that even in weddings after they say I do, they usually end up kissing."

Hope was surprised but then calmed down. "Is…Is that what I should do?"

Claire sat up straight as her blush returned. Instantly, she got nervous. "I-I guess."

Hope scooted in closer to her. His heart was racing along with hers as the moment was approaching. "You should close your eyes then I'll close mine."

Claire listened and nodded. "Okay."

Hope watched as she closed her eyes and waited patiently for him to come to her. The nervousness he felt almost froze him but he knew that he couldn't back down now. This wasn't only his first kiss but one with a girl he cared about and she cared about him back. Someone that he would be with for a long time. Slowly, he leaned in, trying not to think too much about what to do or how it might turn out. Inches away from her, he closed his eyes until he felt himself hit against something hard. Both of them responded with "Ow!" as they rubbed their foreheads.

A frown appeared on Claire's lips. "I didn't say head butt me."

Hope smiled nervously as he kept his eyes closed. "Sorry. I'll try again." Both of them lifted their heads as they opened their eyes. This time, he planned on trying with his eyes opened so he knew where he was going. He was about to lean in again but quickly, she grabbed him under his chin. "No wonder you ended up hitting me. You're doing it all wrong. You're supposed to do your lips like this." Claire pinched his cheeks in, making his lips poke out more.

Hope shook his head out her grasp and looked upset. "Not like a fish and how would you know how to do it? You've never done it before."

Upset, she crossed her arms. "I know what I'm doing so just listen. You can't just go in any kind of way." Listening to her trying to tell him what to do only made him frown and more annoyed. There was only one way he could think of to prove her wrong and that he knew what he was doing. That last time was just a mistake. "You need to put your lips like-."

Before she could finish explaining, Claire was stopped by a pair of lips crashing forward into hers. He lunged forward without warning. Her eyes widened as her face turned a deep shade of red. Soon, he backed away. Leaving her speechless made him smirk. "I think you should listen to me. Maybe next time you should kiss back."

Claire turned angry but her blush was still clear as day. "I wasn't ready! You sneaked up on me!"

"Then be ready next time." Her pink lips pouted outwards. Hope tried to keep himself from laughing but he couldn't stop the few snickers that came out. His arms wrapped around his stomach. Claire crossed her arms as she turned her head. Hope opened one eye and glanced over. He knew that laughing would only make Claire angrier. He calmed himself down and moved over toward her. He grabbed onto her arm. "I'm sorry okay." Claire relaxed a little once she looked into his emerald eyes. Comfortable enough to try again, he sat close in front of her and placed his hands on top her shoulders. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers again. This time, Claire closed her eyes as she kissed him back. To the touch, her lips felt soft against his and tasted sweet like sugar.

As the two continued being off in their own world, the door to Claire's room opened. Serah stepped in with a doll in hand. "Big sister? Do you want to play with…?" Once she looked up, she was stunned. It took a few seconds for the image to sink in before she burst out into laughter. She closed her eyes tight as she bent over. Claire and Hope separated and looked over to see Serah. Serah pointed at her sister and began singing. "Claire and Hope sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Claire got upset at her teasing. "Stop that!"

Serah wouldn't listen as she continued picking on her older sister. "First comes love then comes marriage-!" Before Serah could finish, Claire pushed her out of the door and shut it behind her. Through the door way, she could still hear Serah singing the rest of the lyrics. It was taunting her. Claire sighed as she sat back on her bed. Her face was red from the fact that her sister discovered her with Hope. Minutes later, Hope decided to add something helpful. "It wasn't that bad."

After a few seconds, he realized that his words weren't as helpful as he hoped but it got Claire to relax a little. It wasn't as if what Serah was singing wasn't true. Eventually, they would have to get married and all that other stuff. "So what now?" Hope asked.

Claire thought about the kiss from before. It was something that she really liked. It wouldn't hurt to go again. "Practice makes perfect." Her face leaned in close to his.

Hope was surprised that she still wanted to continue. "What if Serah comes back?"

"Then if she starts singing again, I'll just have to kick her out." Claire answered before she pressed her lips against his again.

* * *

_Thanks for reading. I hoped that you liked it. As always, let me know what you think and I'll update next week._


	4. A Day To Be Happy

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Thank you for reading, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts.  
_

_I have to say with this chapter is probably the one fulled with the most fluff even more than I usually write but it's still pretty cute to me. I hope that you will like it as well.  
_

_Also, I finished and uploaded my new icon cover that I made for this story so if anyone wants to see it, you can click on the picture in the corner of the page. If you want to see the whole picture, please go to my deviant art page. The link is on the bottom of my profile page. Thanks!  
_

* * *

_Chapter 4: A Day To Be Happy: _

A couple of years had passed. Inside of the chapel at the altar, Claire stood along with Serah wearing a long, pink dress that flowed down to the floor with flowers going over the one and only strap on her shoulder. Today was supposed to be a joyful, special occasion. Their mother was getting remarried. There was a long, white veil covering over her face as there was a small, white one covering over the groom's throughout the formal ceremony.

After the ceremony was over, Claire stood underneath the cherry blossom tree waiting. From the other side of the tree, Hope poked his head out to see where she was. Once he caught sight of her back turned away from him, he hid back behind the tree. Starting to get impatient, Claire crossed her arms against her chest. "Where is he?"

The now fourteen year old sneaked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He grabbed her and picked her up off the ground for a short time. She let out a short yell before she managed to get his arms loose enough for her to turn around in them. She saw that it was Hope and still struggled against him. Both of them ended up falling down against the ground with him above her. Claire punched him in the shoulder but it wasn't enough to hurt him. He gotten used to her hits over the years. "It's not funny."

Playfully, Hope continued laughing. "Admit it! I got you!" Claire refused to answer as she crossed her arms. Hope took it as her way of admitting that he was right. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the cheek. "I take it you missed me?" Claire tried pushing him away but he didn't budge. It had been several months since she last seen him and only communicated through technology. Mostly, she had been spending time with Serah since her mother was busy with running things on Cocoon and the wedding. A hopeful smile appeared. "You're not going to answer that for me at least?"

Claire didn't respond. Hope sighed as his eyes gazed toward his pocket. "Too bad because I actually had something to give you."

The offer was tempting for her to see what was hidden. Still, Claire wasn't going to give in that easily. The twelve year old turned her head away. "How do I know you really have something?"

Hope held up his fist over her for her to see. "Because it's in this hand right here." Quickly, Claire sat up and tried to grab his hand, but Hope reacted just as fast. He hid his hand behind his back and let out a smile. "Did you miss me or not?"

Claire sighed loudly. "Fine…" she moaned. It was then she decided to give in. Her expression softened somewhat. "I did miss you…a little." Hope smiled more. Once she seen that he was happy, she wanted him to answer a question of her own. "So what did you get me?" She grabbed his hand and forced his fingers to open but then was nothing inside. At first, she looked surprised but turned disappointed. "You lied to me."

He shook his head. "I didn't. I really do have something for you. I didn't want you to take it right away." Claire sighed and decided to wait it out until he would give her gift. Hope's eyes traveled between her face and what she was wearing. It was rare when he seen her wear a dress. "That's nice."

Claire followed where he pointed and looked down at herself. "I don't like it but it's what my mom picked out."

"I'm surprised. Your mom getting married. I haven't seen the guy before."

Claire stared forward, feeling strange about the wedding. "Yeah. It's weird. I haven't really seen him either." Hearing that, Hope was amazed. How was that possible? He noticed the frown that instantly came upon her face after he mentioned it. She almost seemed worried about it. Watching her, he decided to change the subject so that she would be happy again. He placed his knees up as his arms rested on top of them. "Well things are going to be different. We're going to have a day where everybody will be happy."

Claire leaned back on her hands as she gazed up toward the sky. Clouds were slowly passing over them. "It's not happy if the main two people aren't happy. What kind of day is that? If anything, I rather have a day that we're both happy even if it's just the two of us."

Hope stared at her for a few moments before an idea popped into his mind. Right away, he stood up and pulled Claire up with him. "Then let's do it! We'll have one day when it's just us."

Claire blinked at him surprised. "Now?"

Hope began picking up cherry blossom petals off of the ground. "One day when you're happy. Look at it this way. We have to get married eventually so why not have it on a day where it can just be us?" With a few twigs, he began attaching petals to them and forming the best circle he could out of them. Claire crossed her arms thinking that he was crazy for such a plan. "This is silly."

Quickly, he finished putting her crown together. He got up and placed it on top of her head. "Only if you make it out to be."

Claire took the newly made crown off of her head. "Hope! There's no telling what's on these branches!"

A smirked appeared on him. "And this coming from the one who used to climb trees all the time?" She turned silent. There was nothing for her to counter with on that statement. "Just use a little imagination." Claire sighed as her eyes drifted toward the side. She was actually considering it. Hope stepped over and grabbed her hand. "What do you say?"

After a few more seconds of considering, she placed the crown back on her head. Besides, it would only be the two of them that knew about it, and it was practice for getting married when the real day would come. She would listen to her own words and be happy today. "I say that you're crazy but fine."

Hope smiled as she stepped forward in front of him underneath the cherry blossom tree. He reached over and grabbed both of her hands. "You want me to go first or you?"

Claire was a little confused by his plan. "How are we doing this?"

Hope's eyes traveled to the side thinking back to all the other ceremonies he went to and seen. "I guess from what I've seen, usually they say something nice to each other, and then promise to be there for them, and then say "I do"."

Claire nodded, showing that she understood. "Okay." She looked down for a few seconds as she tried to think of what to say. "Well…" After getting her words together, she lifted her head up to Hope. "I promise that I will stay by your side forever and that I will protect you from getting hurt."

Hope smiled nervously. "And that you won't hurt me by hitting me with anything?" he added in jokily.

A smile came on her face as she closed her eyes, pretending to be disappointed. "Fine... I promise." she moaned.

Both of them laughed a little. Afterwards, he looked up at her, figuring it was his turn to reply with something. "Okay. I promise to do my best to look out for you as well and to be there when you need me."

She smiled as she nodded. "Okay."

Now, Hope figured that it was time to get to the most important part of the ceremony. "So do you Claire Farron take me to be your husband?"

She flashed a smile toward him. "I do." Following that, she giggled a little. It still seemed silly, but it did make her happy.

He grinned before he continued. "So do I Hope-."

The smile went away from Claire as she stopped him. "Wait! You can't say that for yourself."

Hope gave her a confused look. "Why not?"

"Because it just seems…weird. You have to ask yourself and you also have to answer yourself."

Hope shook his head. In a way, she was right. "Fine. Then you ask me."

"Okay." She breathed in for a few seconds before she continued. She couldn't help but smile. "Do you Hope Estheim take me Claire Farron to be your wife?"

A big smile came on his face. "Yeah."

Once Claire heard his answer, she frowned. That was not the way he should reply. "You have to say "I do" or it doesn't count."

He got a little upset. "Of course it does. It's still a yes."

"Just say it." she told him sternly. This was not something she was going to budge on. Not wanting to argue anymore, Hope went along with what she wanted. "Okay. I do."

A small smile returned back to Claire, but then her expression turned to surprise as she remembered something that both of them forgot before the ceremony began. "Wait! How can this count? Neither one of us have a ring to give each other."

Hope was silent and calm as he stared at her. It was then an answer formed into his mind. "Actually if you close your eyes, then the problem might be solved."

She became lost in his words. "What?"

"Just trust me." Claire took note of Hope's genuine expression and tone. It made her want to believe what he was saying was true. At first, she was surprised but then listened to him and closed her eyes. Hope reached into his pocket and pulled out his gift he was planning to give her. Apart of him was amazed at how well it worked out in this situation. He grabbed her hand and placed it inside of her palm. Last, he wrapped her fingers over it so that she wouldn't see what it was. It felt weird as to what he was putting in her hand but she kept her eyes closed until he said that she could open them again. "You can open your eyes." Claire opened her eyes as she unfolded her fingers. Her eyes widened in surprised. No words came to her as she picked the object up. It was a necklace with a golden chain and on the chain was a gold ring. Hope leaned over looking at the ring as well and pointed toward it. "On the inside, there's something written."

She twisted the ring around to read the inscription inside. _"Forever you hold my heart ~Claire"_. Stunned, her lips parted once she read it. Then, she turned her head to Hope who smiled nervously. He rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't going to give it to you in this way but it seemed like a good time."

Claire smiled as she placed the ring on her ring finger. It was a little loose fitting but she managed to keep it on. "That works for me but what about you? I don't have a ring to give you." She tried to think of something that he could use for the time being. Finally she looked up, feeling the light weight of the crown he made her. It was the only ring shape she could find at that moment. She took the crown off of her head and stood on her toes to place it on top of his head. "And now you have one."

Hope's lips curved up into a smile. "And that's that. Now I have the right to kiss the bride."

Claire smirked as she placed her hands behind her. "Now you do." He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back. After they parted, their eyes open and stared into each other's for a few seconds until Hope reached down and grabbed her hand. He pulled the ring off of her finger which she was surprised. "What are you doing?"

He stepped in behind her and placed the necklace around her neck. "Well it's not your real ring. It's your necklace ring." Claire lifted up the pink strands of her hair as he attached the chains together. Afterwards, she let her hair flow back down as her fingers grabbed onto the ring, looking over it. "It's…really nice."

It made Hope happy to hear that. He gazed up toward the tree as the petals from it were still falling. Claire looked at him but then to the tree. A gentle smile came upon both of their faces. What they had shared would be something they would always remember.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! As always, please let me know what you think. _

_On a side note, I'm letting all of my readers know that I have started a forum for the Final Fantasy 13 series. If you would like to express your opinion about the game, then please feel free to stop by. The link is on my profile at the bottom of the page. Thanks! _


	5. An Unexpected Visit

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Thanks for reading the story, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts. I'm glad to hear what you thought about the last chapter.  
_

_In response to a few reviews, I would have to agree about the age thing. One of the hardest things to write about this story was their ages because in the end, I wanted them to be a certain age as you'll read later on, and to show how their relationship grew before they got to that older age that I would leave them for the rest of the story. I thought that nine and twelve were a little too young and I was debating about it. Looking back, I see other ways I could probably have approached it.  
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_As for the icon, I was inspired by another __chapter__ coming a lot later on that will be posted. That is an older 21 year old Lightning.  
_

_I hope that you guys will enjoy the next chapter.  
_

* * *

_Chapter 5: An Unexpected Visit:_

Within his Palumpolum home he shared with his parents, Hope stepped from his room into the kitchen. All ready there, his mother smiled at him as she was chopping up vegetables with a knife on a cutting board. "It's actually nice to see you every once in a while instead of being stuck in your room all day. I almost forgot what you looked like."

The now sixteen year old boy grabbed a glass and poured some milk before he sat down at the table. "I haven't been in my room that long." Hope replied to her exaggeration. He didn't deny that he was in his room a lot but between school and getting used to working with the Academy that he would eventually take over someday, it kept him pretty busy.

"Haven't you gone outside at all to get some fresh air or see your friends?" his mother asked concerned.

He kept his eyes toward the table. "Not really."

Nora stepped over toward the sink and turned on the water from the faucet. "Maybe after tomorrow, you'll get out more."

Hope arched his eyebrow as he gave his mother a confused stare. "What do you mean?"

Though her smile, his mother let out a look of disbelief. If anything, she thought that he would be more excited about the next day. "How could you forget? You don't remember? Tomorrow? Our little arrangement?"

"Mom I don't know what you're talking about. What was I supposed to remember?" Hope lifted his glass to take another mouthful of milk. Nora leaned back against the counter as she crossed her arms. "Are your studies making you forget that much? Tomorrow Claire will be here with her sister Serah."

Instantly, Hope spit out his milk as his eyes widened. His mother was surprised as she was pretty sure that she saw milk come out of his nose as well. "What?! Claire's coming tomorrow?!" Nora shook her head as she smiled. Hope stood out his seat. It was a bit of a struggle to stand since his knees felt a little weak from hearing the news. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I told you weeks ago. You weren't listening."

Hope walked over toward her. "Mom! If you mentioned Claire then of course I would've listened."

"She'll be here tomorrow afternoon. We're supposed to pick her and Serah up."

Hope's eyes traveled along the floor. "I can't. There's something I have to do. It can't wait or be put off." He sighed as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms. His mother could hear his disappointment. She smiled for him for comfort. "They will be here when you get back." He knew that his mom was right but still, he wanted to be there to see her right when she first got to his front door. It had been almost two years since he last saw her. For some reason, he and his family hadn't been able to visit Claire and Serah in Eden. Nora watched as Hope seemed lost in thought. Actually, the reaction that she received from Hope made her happy. It made it seem as if things were working out well between him and Claire. Maybe to the point that neither one of their families needed to remind them about the marriage agreement. "You must've missed her a lot."

Hope glanced at his mother but didn't give her a response. She smiled with her eyes closed, taking his silence as a yes. Soon, he headed to his room. There was a lot he needed to do before tomorrow came. Nora walked over and looked into the hallway. "Don't forget to clean up your room."

"I will!" Hope replied before he closed his door behind him. Right away, he went to his computer and began checking through the conversations that Claire and he had through his computer for some sort of clue that she told him that she was coming. He saw slight hints here and there but she didn't straight out tell him that she was coming by. Many questions crossed his mind such as how long were they going to be staying and what they would do while she was there? Still, he had to let the fact sink in that she was coming tomorrow. He placed his hands over his tired eyes. The girl he cared about most that was his all at once girlfriend, fiancée, and unofficial by Cocoon and Pulse but official that he married underneath the cherry blossom tree as children wife was going to be standing right in front of him. The thoughts were enough to make his head spin and eventually pass out from the weight of them all. It took some time but he relaxed as much as he could despite his excitement and anxious nature, and proceeded to get things ready for tomorrow. If anything, it was going to be hard for him to sleep tonight.

* * *

The next day, Hope returned home early from what he had to do. If he would have gotten out just a little sooner, he could have gone with his mother to pick up Claire and Serah. He relaxed against the couch once he settled in and waited since they would be back any second.

Minutes had turned into hours. He didn't want to call his mom to see where they were but his anxiousness got the best of him. When he called her, he let her know that he was back and checked to see where they were. His mother informed him that they made a few side trips along the way but that she had Claire and Serah with her. To hear that they were in Palumpolum made his heart race. Right in town, she would be there. He was pretty sure after he hung up that his mother told them that he called. He could just imagine her telling both of them, and Claire hopefully smiling when she heard and not thinking that he was going to call to check on where they were every five minutes.

No. He kept himself from doing so. Instead, he kept himself busy. For the time being, Hope traveled between the kitchen eating snacks here and there and doing some work in his room before he returned back to the couch and waited again. The sun was starting to set when he looked out the window. It wasn't long before he immersed his attention in watching television.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of keys in the doorway. Right away, he turned his head. When the door opened, his mother stepped through first. Once she saw him waiting in the living room, she smiled at him. "Look who I found." After her stepped in Serah who set her bags against the floor and walked over to Hope. "Hope!" She wrapped her arms around him.

He returned the hug. "Serah. It's nice to see you again." After they parted, Hope looked down at her. Certainly, she seemed different from when he last seen her. She was taller than he remembered.

"It's been a while. You look different." Her hand reached up and touched his soft silver hair.

Hope smiled. "Really?"

Serah nodded. "You've gotten really tall and bigger than what I remember."

He continued to smile but then his eyes drifted near the door. There was no sign of Claire. It was starting to worry him. His mother saw his concern and smiled. Little did Hope know that his mother wanted to see his reaction once he saw Claire again. She crossed her arms over her stomach and pointed her head toward the door. "Aren't you going to help a lady with her bags?"

Nervously, Hope nodded and walked over hoping that his legs wouldn't freeze up on him. "Right!" He stepped into the doorway in time to see a pink haired, fourteen year old girl placed two suitcases down on the floor. She stood up straight and opened her blue eyes. Instantly, she smiled once her eyes met his. "Hi Hope." The words left her lips softly which left his body stun. His lips parted but no words came out. He recognized the girl as one he always knew ever since they were little kids but now she was…different. Between the last time he saw her and now definitely had a noticeable difference. Her height wasn't the only thing that changed. No longer was she a girl but a… woman. Claire tilted her head as she gave him a confused stare. "Hope?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and began yelling at himself mentally to say something. He couldn't just stand there with his mouth open. He had to make a cool impression. It took some time but after a few awkward blinks between the two of them, he managed to get one thing out. "Hi!" Right away, he heard his voice crack and placed his hand over his mouth. Embarrassed, he closed the door right in front of her.

Nora and Serah who were smiling as the two saw each other were instantly met with shock once they saw that he closed the door without letting her in. "Hope?! What are you doing?!" His mother went over and opened the door again."Aren't you forgetting something?" She smiled nervously to a surprised Claire. "Sorry about that."

Quickly, Hope went out and grabbed the bags that were outside. "Sorry! I'll- I'll get those!" His eyes avoided contact with Claire's and paced inside to set their bags down in the guest room. Claire stepped over beside Serah as she was still trying to figure out what just happened. "That was weird." she spoke lowly between her and her younger sister.

"Yeah." Serah whispered back, agreeing. Nora closed the front door and showed them to where their room would be since they would be sharing. They took that time to unpack and settle in.

Inside his own room, Hope had his head buried in his arms hoping that his embarrassment would die down but it wouldn't. He didn't know what he was thinking. Still, he had to make up for it somehow. A few minutes later, there was a knock on his door. His head lifted off his desk and looked over toward the door. Apart of him wondered if it was Claire."Yeah?"

When the door opened, he saw his mother step in. "Just telling you that dinner is ready and yes Claire will be joining us as warning." Hope moaned. The last thing he wanted to hear was his own mother picking on him. "Very smooth move by the way." Hope placed his head down and buried his face again in his arms. Nora walked in and pressed her hands on his shoulders. She leaned in toward his ear. "I'm sure a girl likes it when you close the door right in front of her face after she was invited."

"It's not funny mom." she heard through his muffled voice. She pulled him back up so that he would sit up straight. "Come on." Still uneasy, he followed her into the kitchen where at the table Claire and Serah were sitting. Nervously, he sat beside Claire and they sat across from Serah and Nora. Claire looked over at him and smiled which he smiled back. Throughout dinner, Hope listened in on the conversations that were going on but his eyes couldn't help but gaze over at Claire a few times, each time longer than the last. He couldn't believe how much she grown. He took in every feature about her that he could see. The way she smiled. The way her pink lips moved as she spoke. Things that seemed new but just the same. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen her for a long time. Either way, she was still a vision of beauty to look upon.

A few times Claire glanced over at Hope and smiled. Nora's eyes traveled over and noticed that Hope barely touched his food. She called out for him twice but he didn't respond. He was stuck inside of his own world as he kept his eyes on Claire. He then noticed Claire turn to him as her smile faded. Had he been staring at her too long? "Hope? Are you okay?"

He looked surprised. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I've been calling you but you wouldn't answer." Hope lifted his eyes up to his mother. She seemed concerned. "You barely touched your plate and your food is getting cold."

He placed his head down as he picked up his fork. "Sorry about that." Everyone was a little concerned about him at first but then returned back to eating their dinners.

Later that night, Hope was sitting in the living room writing on a piece of paper and transferring some of his work onto a computer. A few times, he erased what he written down. It was hard to concentrate. There were very few words that he said to Claire. Less than he would have liked. He sighed as he scratched his head. Maybe it was a matter of taking time to get use to it all. A few minutes later, someone stepped out into the living room. He lifted his head once he noticed a figure out of the corner of his eye. "Serah?"

The eleven year old smiled at him. "You look like you're busy so I can-."

Hope shook his head. "No! It's okay. You can sit out here if you want."

She sat down on the couch beside him and peeked over to see what he was working on. "What are you doing?"

"Just a little bit of Academy work."

"Oh! Looks interesting." Some of the work was interesting and other times, it wasn't. "So? What have you been doing for the past two years?"

Hope shrugged a little. "Well. Not much really. Just school and I've just started working more with the Academy."

"What do you get to do there?" Hope was about to answer when he noticed someone else walk out into the living room. Instantly, the words that were on his mind had left him. Across the way, Claire headed into the kitchen toward the fridge. His eyes followed her. Serah leaned over looking at him, wondering why he stopped all of a sudden. "Hope?" Her voice didn't reach his ears. It was as if the world around him became silence and the only ones there were him and Claire. Again, he couldn't get over how much her body had developed. Certainly, there were differences than he remembered when she was a kid. Her hips and chest being most evident of all. More noticeable than most girls he knew her age. Suddenly, he felt someone shake him by his shoulder. "Hope!"

He turned his head over to Serah. "What?"

She frowned. "I was calling you but you didn't answer."

Hope figured that he zoned out again. It was uncanny how much her frown resembled that of Claire's. Besides their pink hair, you could probably tell that they were sisters by their upset looks. "Sorry. What were we talking about?"

Serah relaxed and pointed toward his paper. "You were telling me about what you were doing since we haven't seen you in a while. What's all of this for?" Hope stared down at his writing. No answer came to mind since there was only thing or really one person that occupied it now. Serah leaned over a little confused as he sat silence with his hand over his mouth. "Hope?"

"I'm not sure..."

Serah was surprised but mostly confused. "You don't know what you're working on?"

"Yeah… I should… do something… about that." his voice started to fade off. He stood up and headed toward the kitchen. "What…?" Serah whispered. She wasn't sure what he was saying. She watched as he approached her sister who still had her back turned. Hope was talking fine and paying attention until Claire came. Then, he started trailing off and getting a blank stare in his eyes whenever he spoke. "Hmm…"She was starting to notice a connection between the two.

"Hi!" Claire heard the familiar voice. She turned around surprised to see Hope standing behind her with a nervous smile. She closed the door to the fridge. "Hey."

"Um…? It's been a long time…"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Hope rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about…closing the door with you still outside earlier."

"It's okay." Soon, she stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist as she closed her eyes. "I'm glad…to see you too." Feeling her against him made him blush slightly and almost made his legs want to give out. It was weird to him how she was having that affect on him but he liked it. He returned the embrace. The sweet scent that rose off of her body filled his nose and made him melt against her. Claire was about to step away but Hope wouldn't let go of her. She was surprised and wondered how much he really missed her. "Hope?"

He separated from her nervously. "Sorry."

Claire walked out into the living room and sat on the floor as Hope took his place back on the couch. "So? What were you two talking about?" she asked.

Hope looked over at Serah. "Um?"

Serah arched her eyebrow wondering if he seriously forgot what he just said a few minutes ago. When he didn't give an answer, she gave him a hint. "We were talking about what you were doing over the two years that we didn't see you."

"Oh right! What did I say?"

"You were talking about school and the Academy." Serah reminded him.

Claire looked interested. "What did you do at the Academy?" Hope's eyes traveled over to her. At first he paused, trying to think of what to say, but mostly he got caught up staring at her again. "Just…some… stuff."

Things turned silence before Claire stood up. "Well I'm going to call it a night."

Serah stood up and stretched. "I'll join you."

Claire looked over at Hope and smiled. "Good night."

Hope gave a cheesy smile as he waved slightly. "Good night Claire." He kept his smile on as he watched her walk away.

"Good night Hope." Hope didn't hear the voice beside him as his eyes were locked on the direction that Claire went. A hand waved in front of his eyes. It took a few seconds before he blinked and realized what was going on. He looked over to see Serah beside him with a slight frown. He was just glad it wasn't as big as the one previously. "Good night Hope." her voice said louder than before.

Hope smiled nervously. "Good night Serah." Serah headed into her room that she shared with Claire.

Once the place was quiet, he leaned back against the couch. His head leaned off the top of it. He closed his eyes as he took the time to reflect the effect that Claire was having over him. Somehow, she was bringing out feelings that he didn't even know were there, and things he didn't normally do such as ignore the world around him whenever she was in the same room. Always he thought of her as a very cute girl while they were growing up but today changed his mind completely. It was time to admit it to himself. The most beautiful, attractive woman in all of the worlds he ever saw was right in his house and she with him.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I hope that you liked the chapter. As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update soon. _


	6. The Changes Of Growing Up

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Thanks for reading, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts. Writing this chapter was something different for me and something I wanted to try out, touching more on I guess life things. __I hope that you will like it._

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_Chapter 6: The Changes of Growing Up:_

The next morning, Hope stepped out his room. He felt better about today than yesterday, and planned on not freezing up or closing doors in front of Claire again. Before he could walk away from his door, he stopped surprised. Through the hallway, he could see Claire standing in front of his mother in the living room. Hope stood out of sight so that they wouldn't see him. Something seemed wrong. Claire had a look of distress on her face as she kept her eyes away from his mother's. He couldn't hear what his mother was saying, but he recognized what her expression meant on her face. It was usually her look of consoling.

She gave a comforting smile as she looked down at Claire and placed her hand on her arm. Claire lifted her head still with concern in her eyes before she walked away. His mother walked into the opposite direction. Hope saw that she was coming his way so he quickly retreated into his room and waited for the knock to come. A few seconds later, it did. He sat up in his bed. "Come in."

His mother opened the door and smiled a little. "I'm going out with the girls for a little bit. I'll be back soon."

Hope looked concerned, still remembering how Claire seemed. "Is everything all right?"

"It's fine. Be back soon." She closed the door behind her. His eyes drifted down toward his bed. By the tone in his mother's voice, things didn't sound okay.

A few hours passed. Hope was sitting in the living room working with paper and a computer again. Today, he was more focused on his work, but he still couldn't help but worry about earlier. There was some relief to the situation since his mother was helping to take care of it. Then, the door opened which he looked over. Serah, Claire, and his mother stepped in carrying bags. Claire glanced over at Hope who was staring at her. She didn't smile at all. Her expression seemed stuck between sadness and irritation. Without speaking a word, she headed back to her room. What was going on?

Hope's eyes traveled over to Serah for an answer, but she looked away keeping her unease look. Once they left, he turned to his mother. "Mom?" She stepped over to him. "What's going on? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself about." Afterwards, she headed back to the girls' room. Hope turned back to his work now even more in the dark than before. The way Claire looked had stuck with him in his mind. Had he done something wrong? If he had, he was going to make up for it.

As dinner came around, Hope was sitting across from Serah eating. His mother stepped over as she smiled and sat down. "So how is your research going? Your father didn't give you anything too hard did he?"

"No. It's going all right." He searched around and noticed that Claire wasn't there with them. He wanted to ask but he was afraid that he wouldn't get any response. It wasn't long before he saw the person in question that he was wondering about. She sat down at the table beside Serah as she looked tired. Nora gave a smile of comfort. "Did sleeping help?" Claire gave a few nods before she joined in on eating. Her stomach wasn't really for eating but it was advised that she still should. After dinner was over, she returned back to her room without saying a word. Hope was hoping to get the chance to speak with her but missed it. If she was going back to sleep, he didn't want to disturb her. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

The next day, Hope's fist knocked against the guest room door as he stood hoping that a certain person would answer. He stood with a bouquet of flowers in hand. Whether she wasn't feeling well or mad at him for something he did but wasn't sure what, he hoped that his gift would make her smile.

Seconds later, Claire opened the door and was instantly met with surprise once she saw the flowers that he had in his hand. He smiled hopeful that she would smile back. "Hey! I just wanted to see how you were feeling today." He waited a little but still she didn't smile. Then, he remembered the flowers that were in his hand and held them out in front of her. She leaned back, avoiding getting close to them. "Here! These are for you."

Soon, her frown became more visible. She closed the door in front of him.

Outside, Hope stood surprised. Had he really upset her in some way? He didn't get it at all. He sighed as he held his head down and walked into the living room.

"Are those for me?" He lifted his head and saw his mother who was standing in the living room folding a blanket.

"If you want them." Hope rubbed his head as he closed his eyes. "She didn't."

Nora stepped over and took the flowers from his hands. "I'm sure that she'll want them later. For now, I'll put these in water." After searching around, she found an empty vase. She placed some water inside before putting in the flowers and sitting them down on the table. Hope sat on the couch as he looked down, still confused. Beside him, his mother sat and smiled. "What's bothering you Hope?"

"I don't get it. I think that Claire is mad at me but I don't know what I did wrong."

Nora tilted her head as she placed her head on top of her hand. "Do you think you did anything wrong?"

"I mean I apologized for closing the door on her. The first night, she seemed happy but then the next day, she didn't smile at me at all. She just seemed upset." Nora's eyes traveled toward the side. Now that he had told her that, she already understood what was going on more than Hope knew. "I don't know what I should do. What if she stays mad at me and-?"

"Hope. She's not mad at you."

He looked over at her after she spoke. "What?"

"Don't worry. She's not mad at you. She just needs time alone. Trust me on this."

Hope searched her eyes. It seemed like she knew the answer but wasn't telling him. "I don't understand."

She sighed as her eyes drifted down toward the couch. "I guess you and the girls are getting at that age aren't you? It's hard to believe that you're not kids anymore. Things are changing." She looked over at Hope. "I know I told you things before but…it's time that we talked. After…you'll have a better understanding. Not just about you but about her as well."

Later that night after dinner, Hope stood in the kitchen alone cleaning up the dishes. The place around now was silence, leaving him to his thoughts. Once he took a break from thinking, he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes standing near the counter. His head turned to see Claire leaning against it. He was surprised to see her there. She gave a faint smile. "Hey."

"Hey." Things turned silence between them. Hope waited for her to speak first. Everything that he learned from his mother earlier still repeated in his head. After that, everything just seemed clearer. Things he felt and that she felt. Life along with them was changing and they would have to face and learn it.

"I guess I should say thank you." Hope looked surprised as he left his thoughts. Her eyes traveled over toward the flowers. "It was really nice of you to get those but I probably would've have end up killing them anyway."

Hope smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be fine now. I just wanted to make sure that you were welcomed here."

A slight smile came to her face. To Hope's surprise, she walked over and stood in front of him. Then, she wrapped her arms around him, embracing him. "Thanks." she told him as her face was buried in his shirt. He returned the hug back as he smiled. Afterwards, they parted and Claire headed back to her room. Hope returned back to cleaning up the kitchen but this time with a smile.

* * *

Claire walked out of her room with her arms stretched. It seemed as if time was passing by fast. Already it had been a little over a week since she and Serah had been in Palumpolum. She stepped into the living room where she saw Hope working on and off as the television was on in the background. She walked over and sat beside him. Hope was surprised. "Hey!"

She leaned back against the couch. "What are you doing?"

His eyes went down to his computer. "Just some more Academy work."

"It is summer you know." she reminded him.

"I know but this is just to get a head start. When I take over for my dad, I want to be ready."

Claire searched around from where she was sitting. "I haven't seen your dad at all since we've been here."

"That's because he's in Academia on Pulse. He's doing a lot of work with the Academy so I don't know if he'll be able to make it down this summer."

"So it's just you and your mom?"

Hope nodded. "Pretty much."

"That has to be hard."

"Maybe a little since he's not here with my mom. Once he gets caught up in his work, it's hard to get him out of it. He always had a habit of doing so." The thought that his dad sometimes put work over his family made him upset at times but he told himself that he wouldn't do the same. Then, his eyes traveled down and saw a necklace hanging around her neck. It was the same one that he had given her years ago underneath the cherry blossom tree. "You're still wearing it."

Claire looked down surprised at first but then picked it up. "Why wouldn't I? I thought you were supposed to wear your wedding necklace all the time."

Hope grinned silently that she brought up the memory. "You still remember what we did?"

"Had our own little ceremony. How could I forget? You didn't know how to say two words right."

He closed his eyes as he laughed. Hearing him caused her to smile. After his laughter died down, he looked over at Claire to see her smile. "You seem better."

Confusion rose within her. She wasn't sure why he would think otherwise. "I'm fine."

"You didn't leave your room for a while." he pointed out.

Slightly, she shook her head. "You worry too much. I'm surprised that you didn't come to see me."

"I thought that you could use some time alone. Maybe it would make things more comfortable for you."

Her eyes drifted over to Hope uneasy. One possible reason came to mind as to what he was talking about. "You know don't you?"

Hope wondered how she would react if he told her the truth but it was only right to say it. "At first I didn't but…mom explained a few things to me. Actually, she explained a lot to me. Before I found out, I thought that you were mad at me for something I did, but now I guess that it's sometimes natural to have different and unexpected reactions during a certain time. "

Claire sighed and turned toward him. "I wasn't really mad at you. Just for some reason whenever I saw you, I guess I didn't want to be around you as much."

He smiled to let her know that he wasn't offended. "It's fine."

She looked down and reached over. Her hand grabbed his hand that was resting on his leg. "Good. Now it's over. Back to normal again." She leaned back against the couch as she thought back. "Your mom actually explained a lot of things to me too…more than my mom has."

A look of concern crossed over his face. "In the messages you sent, it doesn't sound like things are going well."

She shook her head. "Serah and I barely see her anymore."

He could tell that there was something else on her mind. He grabbed onto her hand. "Claire?" She looked over at him, a little uneasy. "If there's something else you want to say, then it's okay to say." A smile appeared on his lips. "Remember. I promised that I would always be there."

The memory of him saying that, and telling herself that she would be happy that day made her lips curve into a smile. She knew that whatever she told him, she could trust him with. Her eyes drifted down as she tried to think of the right words to say. "Things…used to be okay in Eden but now…"

"Now?" he asked anxiously.

"I don't want to…stay there anymore. It's not what it used to be. I don't think Serah wants to either." She leaned her head against the couch as she looked away from him. "It's as if our mom wants nothing to do with us anymore. For hours, I would have to stay locked in my room. I would actually have to sneak into Serah's room to make sure that she was okay. When she thought we were being out of line, we would get punished."

He leaned forward as he started getting worried. "Did someone hurt you?"

Claire looked over at him. She could feel him grabbing on tighter to her hand but it didn't hurt. "It wasn't… really anything like that. It was mainly chores like cleaning something in the house until it was good enough. Depends on what we did. It could have been for anything. It was just better if we stayed quiet. As long as we stayed out of the way, there was no yelling or her saying anything bad to us. Eventually, it got to the point where she made us transfer schools so that we ended up staying at the school all the time and barely went home."

Hope's eyes traveled down, feeling bad. "I'm sorry."

"Why? It wasn't your fault. In fact, I'm surprised that she agreed to let us stay here the whole summer."

Hope's expression instantly changed to surprised. "The whole summer?"

She was a little confused to his reaction since she assumed that he knew. "Yeah. Didn't you know?"

He replied by shaking his head and rubbing it nervously. "I kind of found out that you guys were coming on the day of. Still, that's great!"

Claire gave a brief smile before it faded quickly. "Then I'm guessing you didn't know. For some reason, she really didn't want you coming back to Eden. At first, she was against it when your mom asked but all of a sudden she changed her mind."

Hope was stunned to learn so and wondered why. He leaned back against the couch as he looked down. "That's weird. Your mom used to be one of the nicest people I knew." Claire closed her eyes. It was strange as to why her mom turned on her and her sister suddenly but she couldn't figure it out. For the time being, she hoped that time would pass by slowly so that summer wouldn't end. He placed his fingers to his chin. "So all we have is summer..."

"Yeah and then Serah and I will have to head back."

His eyes turned over to her. "And you don't want to go back?"

Claire responded by shaking her head no. She opened her eyes and let them fall to the floor. "I don't like it anymore. Our mom doesn't treat us the same way. She wants nothing to do with us."

Hope grabbed her hands and pulled her forward which she was taken by surprise. "Then stay here."

At first, no words came to Claire. She was stunned that he came up with an idea like that. "What?"

Through his expression, he seemed excited about the thought. "It'll be fine. You can stay here with me and my family. You can go to school here and we can see each other every day. You wouldn't have to worry about anything."

Claire blinked few times. It actually sounded like a good idea. In just the short time that she had been there, she liked it and thought that Serah did too. Both Hope and his mother treated them like family and been welcoming. Still, it felt like she was intruding. "I don't know-." she sounded unsure.

Hope gave a pleading smile. "I know that my mom would say yes and I would like it too! You won't regret it!"

Her eyes traveled away from him. As much as she wanted to say yes, she didn't want to feel like a burden on others. "Um..?"

"Then, it's settled! I'll ask mom later on tonight!"

Claire wanted to say something but then sighed, giving in. She wouldn't argue against it for now. It wasn't until she remembered something important that she decided to speak. "Wait! Aren't you going to be graduating soon? What about going to Pulse and the Academy?"

Hope shrugged a little. "Yeah I will be so I won't be able to go to school with you, but I will be going to college not too far away from here so I'll still be staying here. As for the Academy, I'll be taking a few trips to Pulse but I'm not going to live there. I'll be able to see you." Claire let out a small smile. That was good to hear. One of the reasons she wanted to stay was because he was already here. "Besides, this way I can watch for you."

A curious look came across her face as she crossed her arms. He had some explaining to do about that statement. "Watch out for me?"

He smiled nervously as his eyes glanced between her and his computer. "Yeah. I don't want you to be bothered by other people."

Her eyebrow gave a slight arch. "What people?"

"Um…? Guys." he muttered as he turned his attention back to his computer and began typing.

Claire continued to get more interested. Why would he bring up something like that? "And what makes you think that guys will be bothering me?"

"Because…" His eyes traveled away from her uneasy and continued working. The pink haired girl tapped her fingers against her arm starting to get impatient. "Well…"

Still, she got no reply out of him so he left her with no choice. She had to drag it out of him. With her hand, she pushed him back against his chest onto the couch. Hope looked surprised but a little upset. "What was that for?"

"Tell me." she told him before pushing him again. He grabbed onto the couch before he could fall back. "I don't have to."

Claire pressed her hands and knees up on the couch and approached him. She pushed him again. This time, he fell back against the pillows and cushions. "You have to tell me or else."

Hope stared up at her as his lips parted. He wasn't ready to say out loud what he was thinking. Soon, he felt a small pain on his stomach. The pinch that she gave him was starting to make him irritated. "Ow! Stop that Claire!" She didn't listen as she pinched him a few more times. He tried to push her away, but she wouldn't budge. Finally, he gave in. "All right! All right…" Listening, she stopped. Soon, his hand rose up and softly touched her cheek underneath the strands of her pink hair. "Because…you're a really beautiful girl. Who wouldn't try?" Claire stared at him in surprise before she sat back on the couch and held her head down. Her bangs hid her eyes but couldn't hide the red in her face. Hope sat up beside her. "Claire?"

She shook her head. "You don't have to say that just because you and I eventually have to..."

Gently, he smiled and turned her head with his hand on her cheek. "I'm not just saying it. I really do mean that."

Claire took his hand away slowly from her face, but then pushed him away and turned from him as she crossed her arms. Inside, she was touched with what he said but on the out, she frowned as if she wasn't impressed. "Stop trying to flatter me."

Hope let out a smile. "It wasn't flattery but if you think it is, then you're probably going to hear more of it."

She looked over and leaned forward on her hands. "Oh yeah? Maybe I should look out for you."

He was a little surprised that she said so. "Me? Why?"

She turned more toward him as she looked serious. "Because I should make sure that no girls try to bother you."

Hope's eyes drifted to the side as he rubbed his head. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm not-." Before he could finish, Claire leaned in and caused his voice to fade off. She smiled as she went in toward his lips, her blues eyes staring into his emerald ones. "I don't believe you." Soon, he could feel her warm breath on his lips and the tip of her nose light brush against his check. "You're not so bad looking yourself."

His breath began to shorten as she was only inches away from him. "Really?"

A smirk came upon her lips. "Really. In fact…" Her arms wrapped around his neck. "I think you're really cute."

Hope moaned as he leaned back onto the couch, taking her with him. "That's what you call like a puppy or something."

"Take it or leave it." Soon, her lips pressed against his. It felt like a long time since she felt his kiss. The kiss between them grew more passionate than they ever shared before. After a few minutes, Hope remembered where they were. It drew concern that someone could walk in on them at any moment. He managed to break away from her and grabbed her arms. Both of them were breathing heavily. "Maybe we shouldn't do this here."

Claire relaxed and listened. She sat up and watched as Hope sat up after. "It's all right. No one's here but you and me."

He was surprised by the news and wasn't aware of it. "Really?"

She nodded in response. "Yeah."

Hope relaxed as he smiled. His eyes caught onto the necklace that she was wearing again. He picked up the ring from her. "I still can't believe that you still wear this every day."

Claire leaned her head on her arm that was pressed against the top of the couch. Her other fingers began playing with the golden chain. "I guess if you didn't want me to wear it, I could toss it-."

"Don't do that." he replied sternly. She wondered if he was taking the joke seriously. Hope relaxed and leaned in close to her. "I'm glad that you came and I hope that you'll think about staying." It was something to think about but she wasn't going to give him a definite no. She could get used to stay there with him. He moved in and kissed her again. As the minutes passed them by, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Slowly, his hands stroked against the soft skin of her back and sides of her waist. He leaned forward as she leaned back. Her back pressed against the cushions of the couch. Slowly, Claire opened her eyes and stared into his as he was hovering above her. Hope leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. "I…" he began to speak as he separated from her with his eyes closed, but he stopped himself.

She was curious as to what he wanted to say. "What is it?"

He shook his head. He was ready to take back what he was about to say. "It's nothing." He was about to move in again, but she held a finger to his lips stopping him. "What?"

Hope looked down, wondering if he should say what came to mind. His eyes drifted toward the side. Claire leaned over trying to look at his face. "Is there something wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong. Just…." She continued to look curiously. It was probably too late to take back what he wanted to and thought it wouldn't hurt just telling her. He hadn't lied to her before. Before he answered her, he kissed her again, hoping that it might soften what he had to say. Nervousness took of his body. "I love you." he whispered.

Claire's eyes widened as she became shocked. Hope pressed his lips together as he felt uneasy. Maybe it was too soon to say. Still, with everything they've went through as kids and even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time and only communicated through computer messages, it didn't lessen his feelings for her one bit. Now that they were back together again, it only made his feelings for her grow stronger. It was something he felt was on his heart and wanted to share with her.

It took some time but Claire relaxed and raised her hand up toward him. He remained still to see what she would do next. Softly, her hand was placed against his cheek but then she flicked him against his forehead which made him close his eyes for a second. She closed her eyes as she giggled. "You really do worry too much."

Hope was still confused to her reaction. "So…?"

She crossed her arms. "So…?" she replied mockingly.

The silver haired teenager sighed loudly with his eyes closed, starting to get impatient. "Don't do this to me now Claire! I just want to know if you-!"

"I love you."

Hope opened his eyes surprised once he heard the words. He looked down to make sure that it came from her. "What…did you say?"

She sighed and pressed her finger against his forehead. "Do you always have to make me repeat things?" Soon, she placed her arm down. "I love you too." He couldn't believe it. His body remained stunned. He was pretty sure that his heart skipped a beat and that she said that she shared the same feelings. Claire smiled at his reaction and placed her hand on the back of his neck. "Are you just going to stare or are you going to do something now?"

A smile formed on his face as he leaned in. Suddenly, they heard a noise at the door. It didn't take long for them to recognize that it was keys. Quickly, they sat up and beside each other, nervously. Nora and Serah stepped in carrying bags as they were talking and looked over to see the two of them sitting on the couch. Hope was working on his computer as Claire was looking on to see what he was doing. Nora watched them from nearby and smiled. It was nice to see the two together. Still, she had to wonder. Things had seemed a little too calm between them.

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_Thanks for reading! I hoped that you liked this chapter! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update soon!_


	7. Just One Night

_**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Thanks for reading, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts! I really appreciate all of the feedback I've gotten! I hope that you will enjoy the next chapter!  
_

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_Chapter 7: Just One Night:_

As night came around, everyone was lying asleep in their beds except for one. Quiet and slowly, he opened the door to the guest room that Claire and Serah were staying in. Lucky for him, Claire had picked the bed closest to the door. He sneaked in by her bedside and kneeled down in front of her out of sight just in case Serah woke up. "Claire." he whispered near her face.

She lifted her eyelids and looked over at the one who woke her. Once she realized who it was, she sat up tired and confused. "Hope?"

He placed his finger to his lips. "Shh!"

Claire lied back down as she rested her head against her arm that was on her pillow. "You better have a good reason for waking me up."

A smile appeared on Hope's lips through the dimly lit room. "Maybe. You want to come out with me?"

Her eyes opened a little more in surprise. "Go out with you this late?"

"It's not late and I won't keep you out long. I promise that it'll be worth it."

"Hmm…" Claire considered his offer, but she was comfortable lying in bed where she was. "It is late. We have to go out now?"

Hope rubbed the back of his head. "Well we don't have to go this late, but I thought it could be something fun that we could do together."

For a few more moments, she stared into his pleading eyes before she sighed with her eyes closed. "Give me time to get dress." she groaned.

Hearing her answer, he became cheerful. "Meet me out in the living room." Afterwards, he took off. Claire shook her head with her eyes closed wondering why she was following along with him. She got out of bed and got dressed. A short time after, she met Hope who was standing out in the living room waiting. She stepped in front of him with her arms crossed as she displayed a frown. "This better be good."

"It will be." He headed toward the door and she followed behind. Outside, they walked through the neighborhood where other houses were around. Minutes later, Hope led her to a locked building but he used an access card he had to get in. Claire looked around observing the area before her eyes turned to him. "What is this place?"

He looked back at her and gave her a smile. "You'll see." he whispered. He opened the door and they both headed inside. They walked through the halls until they eventually came to a room with low lighting that was filled with a few seats in the back. Claire continued walking as she looked around, trying to make out what the place was. Hope stood inside of a booth nearby as he watched her. He couldn't help but smile. "Hope? What is-?"

Before she could finish, Hope pulled down a switch and pressed a few buttons. Above her on the ceiling, she saw a lot of stars in space moving around. On the ground, it made it seem like she was up in the air as Eden was down below her. Soon, she became intrigued by the show and watched it for a few minutes. Her hand reached up as the projections passed through her hand. Then, she noticed a light below her flash bright and saw another land down below her. There she could see animals running free. She walked along as she kept her eyes to the ground. The projection extended and continued up through the walls until she felt surrounded. She looked around her. For a second, she felt as if she was really in another place. When her eyes lifted above her, no longer did she see the stars but another world floating in the sky. Hope came out to meet her. She noticed him head toward her out of the corner of her eye. "What is this place?"

His eyes traveled around the room as he gazed at the sights. "At first, you were looking at the world as if you were still on Cocoon, but now around you is the world of Gran Pulse."

Claire looked over at him a little concerned. "Where you'll eventually go someday."

Hope looked at her and saw that she didn't seem happy. He looked down toward the moving ground. "Maybe."

"I don't get it Hope. The Academy is down on Pulse and if I take over, I'll be here on Cocoon. How is that supposed to work out between us? One of us will have to move to another world for the other."

He let out a small smile. "I'm already here on Cocoon. You know I've lived here for most of my life." He walked over and took her hands. "It will work even if we have to live in the middle between both worlds. If Pulse and Cocoon are meant to come together, then they will with us. We'll blend the two together. It might work out so well to the point that it doesn't matter where we live. That society will function without our every command." As Claire stared up at him, it looked as if he seemed so sure. It made her want to believe that things would work out. Afterwards, Hope took her hand and began walking as his eyes followed along the ground, watching the passing scenery. "You've never been to Pulse before. I think that you would like it."

"You kept telling me that you would take me someday and not just show me pictures."

Hope turned to her. "And I'm going to make good on that promise. Come on. I have something else I want to show you." He stopped by the booth to cut everything off before he led her to a ladder against the wall in the hall. Claire lifted her eyes up. It was too dark to see exactly where it led. "Where are we going now?"

Hope began climbing the ladder but then stopped and looked down at her. "You'll see. Just follow me." She trailed in behind him. On the roof, he got up there first and helped her step off of the ladder. Her eyes opened more in wonder as she stepped forward. Her hand lifted up to her hair that was flowing through the breeze. Below her, she could see the whole city of Palumpolum lit up with lights. Hope came beside her. "From here, you can see the whole city." He pointed out toward the ocean. "And a little bit of another city from over there." Then, he pointed up toward the sky. "And there you can see-."

"Eden." Claire finished his sentence. It was different seeing her home up in the sky from another city. Suddenly, she saw a bright, flashing red light that shot up into the sky but then fade. Hope sat down on the ground. "Right on time. We didn't miss any of the fireworks." She sat down close beside him. From there, they could see the lights and their reflection over the ocean. As Claire continued to stare out, Hope smiled seeing her reaction. His arm reached over and wrapped around her shoulders. She moved in closer and leaned her head against his shoulder comfortably against him. They continued watching until the lights in the skies eventually died down. When he looked over, he saw her with her eyes closed almost as if she was sleeping peacefully on him. His arms were still wrapped around her. "Claire?"

"Hm?" she replied without opening her eyes.

"You seem tired. We should probably go back." For a few more minutes, she continued to lean against him with her arms wrapped around him, taking in his warmth. Hope stayed until she lifted up from him and stood up. "Let's go." He stood up and walked with her. They headed back to his house.

Quietly, Hope entered in and locked the front door behind him. To their relief, there was no one up to see them come in. In the hallway where their rooms were across from each other's, they stopped in front of their doors and faced each other. "Good night. I guess maybe tonight was worth going out this late."

He smiled and took it as her way of saying that she had a nice time. Claire turned to her door and was about to open it but suddenly felt a hand grab onto her wrist. Before she knew it, she was pulled in close to him and his lips met hers. Instantly, she gave in and kissed him back. He stepped back, pressing his back against his door. Hope placed his arms around her waist. Slowly, the hand that held her wrist moved toward him and pressed against his chest. After they separated, she stared up at him stunned. The way he pulled her into the kiss and how he passionately kissed her, she found herself liking what he did even more.

Hope smiled, not wanting to leave her but eventually they had to. "Well…I guess this is good night." He opened his door and walked backwards, not letting go of her hand. Soon, Claire stepped into the doorway of his room. She was surprised that he led her in. Was it a sign that he wanted her to come with him? From the door, she looked around. This was the first time that she had ever been in. She slipped her hand out of his and crossed her arms. "Trying to tell me something?"

He looked back surprised. "Like what?"

She arched her eyebrow. "Possibly that you want me to come in or maybe stay?"

Hope smiled nervously as he rubbed his head. He wouldn't argue with the idea. "Well…I wouldn't mind if you…stay." Silence overtook her as she wasn't sure what to say. After thinking about it, Claire lifted her eyes to him. "Thanks for tonight." He watched as she walked away and headed into her own room. He sighed to himself, wondering if he had asked her too soon.

Claire crawled into bed after changing back into the tank top and shorts she was sleeping in before. Her head leaned against her pillow as she grabbed a hold of the edges. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to overtake her but it didn't. Instead, she was still debating as to whether or not to change her mind. As kids, they slept in the same bed before but things were different now. They were older and with that, there were different feelings she hadn't felt before. Now, it just felt odd. If they started staying together in the same room, would it become obvious to everyone else?

There wasn't any way that Hope could come and stay in her room. Not with her sharing it with Serah. It would be awkward. The only other option was to go to his room since he stayed in it alone. Claire took a few more minutes to debate. After making up her mind, she sat up on the edge of her bed. If it became a habit, there was the possibility that someone would bring up later but it was only for one night. If she needed to, she could make it back to her room in the morning before anyone noticed she was gone. Quietly, her feet pressed against the hard, cool floor. Her body nervous at the thought of what she would do next. Still, she pushed the thoughts aside not letting that be the reason that she didn't try. Using the light that was shining from the moon through the window, Claire grabbed clothes that she would need in the morning so that when she stepped out, she would be dressed and ready. No one would question where she been that night.

From outside of her room, she closed the door softly and stepped into the hall. When she looked down it, there was no one else around. She opened the door to Hope's room. From what little light she let in, it was enough for her to see him lying in his bed most likely asleep. It seemed easy enough to walk straight across without bumping into anything. Afterwards, she closed the door and walked in the dark toward his bed. Feeling with her hands, she could make out his mattress and blanket and crawled in beside him underneath the covers. Next to her, she could feel something hard and warm. Her eyes closed as she clutched onto his body.

Soon, she heard a deep breath exhale and felt Hope turn against her. He kept his eyes closed as he became confused. "Claire?"

In the darkness, she let out a smirk and remained silent to hear his reaction. His hands caressed what was soft beside him, trying to recognize if it was really her beside him. Apart of him was still sleepy from earlier. "Is that you?" Her hand managed to find where the side of his cheek was. To give him a hint, she leaned in and found his lips with hers. A smile formed on his lips as he kissed her back.

After they separated, Hope reached over and cut on the lamp that was on his dresser nearby. When he looked over, he saw Claire sitting up on her elbow with her head tilted lightly on her shoulder, smiling. He was surprised to see that she was there but happy. "What brings you by here?"

Her eyes looked down at his body that wasn't cover by his blanket. It was certainly a change from when she last saw him as a child. His body was firm and the curves of muscles on his arms noticeable. At first, she hesitated amazed. Maybe calling him "cute" previously was an understatement. She took herself out of her daze to answer his question. "I thought that this was what you wanted."

Nervously, he smiled. "It is nice but you don't have to-."

Claire leaned over him toward his lamp and cut out the light, casting the darkness over them. "If you're going to keep talking, I could just leave now." Hope grinned as he turned silence and settled in next to her. The blankets became wrapped over them. The covers began to shift as her lips met with his.

* * *

As day came, Serah sat up out her bed as she rubbed her eyes. Out of her awaken state, she glanced over to Claire's bed and saw it was empty and not made. She was surprised that Claire was up earlier than her and wondered where she went.

Later that day, across the way, Claire moved slightly as she began to wake up. Her head was nested against Hope's shoulder with her arm wrapped around his neck as he was lying on his back. As she was resting on her side, she could feel his warmth going through her body. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw that Hope was still asleep. The thought crossed her mind about getting up, but it felt nice just being there beside him. Tired, she leaned back against him for a few more minutes before she got up. She grabbed the clothes that she brought in with her last night and headed into the bathroom that was in his room.

"Morning." Claire stopped and looked back, hearing the groggy voice behind her. Hope still had his eyes closed but somewhat awake.

"More like close to afternoon." Hope turned over and opened his eyes to look at her. He saw a brief smile on her face along with her pink, messy hair. In her hands, he noticed the clothes she brought with her. "If it's all right with you, I'm taking a shower."

"It's fine."

A slight smirk came to her lips as she headed inside. "Try not to come in on me."

Hope was surprised by her comment but then got out of his bed and headed toward the closed door she was behind. A playful smile came on his face. "Since it's my house, I'm allowed to come in where ever I want."

"It would be very rude to your houseguest." she replied through the door.

"Not if that houseguest just so happens to be my girlfriend or… something." Hope scratched his head. It ran through his mind that yes she was his girlfriend but still unclear as far as fiancée. He hadn't proposed yet it was in writing that they would get married. Also, he wondered if she still counted the ceremony they had at her home in Eden. How could she be all these things at once? He sighed and fell back down on his bed, letting the complicated labels on his lover and love life be put into the back of his mind to be brought back up again eventually.

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_Thanks for reading! As always let me know what you think and I'll be back to update soon! _


	8. The Take Over of Eden Part 1

**_Author's Note:_**_ Hey everyone! Thanks for keeping up with the story, sending in reviews, and adding this to your alerts and favorites. _

_So for the last seven chapters, I've been mainly focusing on the relationship and how it grew but now... is it time for some drama? That question will be answered in this chapter. I hope that you will like it! Due to the length, I split this one chapter in half so the next part will be updated next time. _

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_Chapter 8: The Take Over of Eden Part 1:_

"Wow!" A teenage boy leaned forward as he stared at the picture that was on the computer. "Your girlfriend… Your girlfriend is hot!" Hope glanced back at his friend who came over to visit before he turned his eyes over to his computer to see the picture that he had of Claire as his desktop image. In the picture, she was lying on his bed on her stomach with her head on her hand smiling. It was one of his favorite pictures that he had of her. "I know." It was one of the first things he thought about Claire once he saw her again for the first time since their almost two year separation. Afterwards, he began typing on his computer, working on some things to kill time as he waited.

Summer was coming to a close so that meant that things like school would start up again. His eyes gazed up toward the wall. From it, it was almost like a story of everything they did during their stay. Hope wanted it to be a summer that they would never forget. There were a few pictures of him and Claire in Nautilus at the amusement park, and a few they taken together with his mother and her sister. There were other pictures of them in Bodhum from the fireworks festival, and few from right in Palumpolum. All of them looked as if they had a great time. The idea to travel to those places came from him since soon he would be attending college and spending more time at the Academy. Who knew if there would be another chance to do something fun like that again with all four of them?

After traveling through memory lane, he turned his attention back to his computer and began typing. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his friend leaning forward anxiously as if he had a lot of questions on his mind. "Man! You are so lucky! You got to have your girlfriend stay here the whole summer. Not only that but she'll be living here with you." He placed his fingers against his chin as he lifted his eyes up thinking. "I guess that could be a good thing or a bad thing."

Before he could finish talking, both Hope and his friend heard a ringing sound coming from Hope's computer. The moment that Hope was waiting for. He accepted the incoming call and seconds later saw the person he been expecting for minutes now. Hope's serious expression softened once he saw her. "Hey." On his screen, Claire's lips curved up into a smile. He could tell that she was in her bedroom in Eden. "Are you almost done?"

"Not yet but I should be done packing by the time you get here. You're getting here…when?"

Hope let out a smile. "Two days from now." No matter what, he wouldn't forget when he was supposed to go to Eden to help Claire move. It was still amazing to both of them how everything worked out. After Hope spoke to his mother, she spoke to Claire's mother who, without much disagreement, decided to let Claire and Serah stay with them. She sat up on her bed. Through her computer, all she could see was Hope but couldn't see his friend that was listening in on their conversation. "I'll see you then."

Hope leaned his head against his hands. "Can't wait." She nodded and was about to turn off their connection but he stopped her. "Wait!"

Surprised, she stopped. Had she forgotten something else? "What?"

A gentle smile appeared on his face. "I love you."

In return, she let out a smile as well. "I love you too." she replied softly. Then, the screen turned off.

Behind him, his friend moaned. Hope's expression changed to surprise as he looked over. "What?"

A frown came upon his friend's face. "You tell her that you love her first? You wait until she says it first."

Hope let out a shrug. "What's the big deal?"

"That's how she knows she has you wrapped around her finger."

Hope shook his head and turned back to his computer. "That's crazy."

"Look at your room. She's everywhere like… watching you. She's on your computer watching you work." Hope sighed loudly, feeling the urge to ignore everything that his friend just said. Even if it was true that Claire had some sort of affect over him, was it really that bad? Regardless, he would do just about anything she asked. His friend held up his hands as a way to signal him to calm down. "All right all right. This girl has been your girlfriend forever and you have to marry her." Then, his friend's expression changed into a curious one. "So nothing happened with you two all summer?"

The question caught Hope by surprise. "What? No."

"Aw come on! Really?" his friend asked anxiously.

Hope kept his head turned hoping that his expression he was hiding wouldn't reveal the answer. "Just let it go."

"Yes or no?" he tried to push Hope along, making sure that he would get the real story. Still, Hope didn't give him a response. Finally, his friend gave up on getting information out of him. "Okay. Fine. I'll let it go." Hope was a little relieved. Whatever happened, he would keep between him and Claire. Soon, his friend stood up and walked passed him. He placed his hand on Hope's shoulder. "That does not change the fact that you my friend are still under her control."

* * *

Two days later, Hope headed to Claire's room in Eden. Once he reached her room, there he saw her with her back turned, packing clothes into her suitcase as Serah was sitting on her bed nearby. Serah lifted her head and instantly smiled as she noticed Hope leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He placed his finger against his lips as a sign not to let Claire know that he was there. Claire finished placing her clothes in her bag and then looked over at Serah. "Is that everything?"

Serah nodded as she continued smiling. "Yeah!" She struggled to hold back a laugh knowing that Hope was up to something. Out of the corner of her eye, she could spot Hope sneaking up behind her unsuspecting sister. She kept her eyes on her so that she wouldn't get suspicious. Suddenly, Claire's eyes were covered by darkness as she felt someone press in close behind her. "What?"

Hope reached over and grabbed something out of her suitcase. "I think you missed one thing." his deepened voice whispered in her ear.

Instantly, Claire recognized the voice and struggled out of his grasp. She turned around and lifted her eyes to see that it really was Hope. She tried to push him off but he still held onto her laughing. Serah laughed along with Hope as she watched the two flirt with each other. "Hope? You're already here?" Claire sounded surprised.

"Just a little early." Claire looked over and saw that he had her shirt in his hand. A little upset, she snatched it out of his grip. She placed it back in her suitcase as she turned her back to him. "Well enough playing around. We're almost ready to go."

"All right. I'll be right back. There's just something I need to do first." The two girls watched as Hope left the room. Once Claire was finished, she closed and zipped her suitcase. When she looked up, she noticed Serah staring down with a sad expression. "Serah? What's wrong?"

Serah smiled as best she could but behind the smile was remorse. "Nothing." she whispered.

Claire stepped over and sat beside her. "Seriously what's wrong? You can tell me."

Serah's eyes drifted toward the ground as her hands came together in her lap. "It's just… Should we really be leaving mom like this?"

At first, Claire was surprised but then she turned her head away from Serah as she looked down. Apart of her was still angry by the way their mother had treated them. "She's made it clear that she doesn't want us here anymore. Why else would she agree to let us move so easily? She's already sent us away more than once."

Serah leaned forward trying to see Claire's face. "Maybe we should try talking to her one more time. Maybe we can see why she's acting this way." Claire looked at her unsure if they should. She didn't want to risk Serah getting her feelings hurt like she had in the past. Still, no matter what, she was going to be there if Serah needed her. "Please?" Serah pleaded.

Claire sighed as she closed her eyes. She hoped that she wouldn't come to regret this. "Let's go."

Serah let out a smile and walked with Claire out of her room. They went further down the hall and headed to their mother's room. When they got there, Claire was a little surprised. The door to her room was barely open and it was dark. Usually, their mother kept her door closed. Serah smiled and rushed in. Claire held her hand out to stop her, concerned. "Wait Serah-!"

Before Claire could stop her, Serah pushed open the door. Once she looked inside, her eyes widened. Claire looked inside as well and immediately had the same reaction as her younger sister. Both of them stood in shock as their bodies began to involuntarily shake. Without thinking, Serah stepped forward. Little could she feel the tears flowing from her eyes. "Mom?" Through the dimly lit room, they could see their mother lying on her bed covered with blood on her body and her bed sheets. Her body lied unmoving as there was a deadpanned stare to her open eyes. Serah continued to walk forward but suddenly felt a weight press against her shoulder. Quickly, she turned her head back and looked into Claire's eyes that lowered in sadness. Serah turned toward her unable to say anything.

"Claire! Serah!" Both of them looked over to see Hope running toward them. "I was looking for you in your room but I couldn't find you." His feet slowed to a stop once he saw the expressions on their faces. It was then he became curious. "What's…wrong?" Claire's eyes drifted toward the ground as Serah leaned against her with her eyes closed. Neither one of them said anything. Slowly, Hope stepped forward toward them. The only thing he saw around was a room nearby. When he looked inside, he was stunned. No words came to him after witnessing what they saw. His eyes traveled over to Claire and Serah. "I'm… sorry."

The two girls lifted their eyes to see Hope hold out his arm as an offer of comfort. Both of them went over and embraced him. Serah wrapped her arms around his waist as she buried her face into his shirt. Her sobs were more audible. Claire lowered her eyes to a close as she leaned her head against the side of his chest. She didn't understand it. How could this have happened? Who would want to kill their mother? "Come on. We should probably go."

Claire nodded against Hope after hearing his suggestion and leaned away from him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a red smear on her arm. She stepped back afraid of what it might be. When she looked over at Serah's back, she saw more red clearly displayed on her shirt. Serah noticed her frozen face along with Hope and looked concerned. "Claire?"

Quickly, Claire glanced at Hope's hands and saw that there was blood on them. Her eyes lifted up to his emerald ones scared at the possibility that he had done something. There was no way Hope would hurt anyone especially their mother. It seemed absurd to think that, but why was there blood on his hands? "Claire?" Hope extended out his hand, but Claire grabbed Serah's arm and pulled her away as she stepped back out of Hope's reach. He was surprised by her reaction. "Claire…"

Serah looked up at her older sister. "Claire? What's wrong?"

Claire's breath shortened. The assumption was crazy. She knew this and she knew Hope all of her life. He wouldn't. She kept telling herself that over and over again in her head. Still, the fact that blood was on his hands kept sticking out in her mind. "The blood…" A surprised look came across Serah's face. Claire continued on, worried. "Why is…Why is there blood on your hands?"

Hope stared down at his hands. A look of regret came to his face. Serah kept her eyes on Claire's expression. "Claire…?" Then, her eyes widened once she realized what she was thinking. "Claire! You don't actually think that Hope-!"

Quickly, Hope lifted his head. Was Claire really thinking that he killed her mother? Hope stepped forward. "Claire. How could you think that I would do something like that?" Deeply, he stared into her blue eyes. "I would never do anything like that to you or Serah. Not ever."

Claire wanted nothing more than to believe him. She had to. In response, she nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."

Hope's expression changed to serious. "Anyway, we'll let the authorities deal with this. In the mean time, we should get you out of here."

"Right." Claire agreed. She grabbed onto Serah's hand and took off running with Hope. They headed back into Claire's room. Claire and Serah went for her stuff that was on the bed. Hope looked back at them. "We'll leave your stuff here and come back for it later." Claire thought he had a point. Whoever killed their mother could still be in the house and possibly after them next. She walked around her bed and grabbed the carrier that held the gunblade that he gave her years ago.

Suddenly, someone crashed through their window and landed on the floor. When Hope, Claire, and Serah looked over, they saw that it was a soldier dressed in PSICOM armor. A few more entered in through the window. One stepped forward and pointed their finger toward them. "Get those two! The girls of the Fal'Cie order!"

"Run!" Hope told them. Claire and Serah took off outside into the hall. Claire glanced back and saw that Hope wasn't behind them. Before she could go back for him, more PSICOM soldiers came running down the hall toward them. "Halt!" one shouted at them. Claire grabbed Serah's hand and took off running further down the hall. "Stop!"

"Claire!" Serah shouted as she was barely able to hold onto her sister's hand.

Claire kept her eyes forward. "Serah! Don't look back!"

"But what about Hope?!" Serah asked scared.

Claire pressed her teeth together. She was worried about his safety and hoped that he got away, but the chances were unlikely. She wanted to go after him but she knew that she had to keep Serah safe as well. "He'll be fine."

Up ahead, a soldier stopped in the hall in front of them. "Hey! Over here!" Claire felt uneasy trusting the man who waved his hand toward him. She pulled out her gunblade as she stopped and pointed her gun toward the soldier. The soldier held up his hands as a sign of surrender. "Hold on! I'm on your side! I'm just here to get you somewhere safe!"

Claire kept her serious composure. "No thanks. We'll find our own way out."

The soldier dropped his gun on the floor and kneeled down in front of them. "Please princess. I'm on your side. We need to get both of you out quickly. Right now, we're under attack and we believe that there are people here to take you."

Claire looked upset. "Yeah! You guys!"

The soldier shook his head. "No! It's not PSICOM but it's…"

Claire became curious. "It's who? Tell me or else."

"If I say, you won't like it-. It might-."

Getting impatient, Claire pressed the gun directly to the soldier's forehead. "Who is it?!" she shouted.

"It's the Guardian Corp! We believe that they were sent here by the Academy!"

Serah's eyes widened as Claire stood stunned by his news. She stepped back but then her expression changed to anger. "Why would the Academy want to attack us?! We have a peace agreement with them!"

"I know but we believe that they've come to take you! That's why!"

Claire shook her head and turned around. "I don't believe this. I know how to end this." She started walking away intending to find Hope, but the soldier held out his hand. "Please! Don't go! I have proof!"

The words that the soldier spoke caused Claire to come to a stop and caught her attention. She didn't want to believe that the Academy was attacking them but she needed some clue as to what was going on and how to keep Serah safe. She walked over and kicked the soldier's gun aside out of his reach. Shortly after, she pointed hers toward him. "Show me what you got. If you try anything funny, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Serah stepped toward Claire. "You can't seriously be listening to him! The Academy wouldn't do this because Hope wouldn't let them!"

"Just listen. I will show you." the soldier pleaded.

Claire considered it for a few more seconds before she looked at the solder. "Show me."

The soldier nodded and walked off as Claire and Serah followed behind him. He led them to a room where there were screens around displaying the hallways from the cameras. Claire kept a close eye between the soldier and the door. They seemed to be the only ones there. The soldier began pressing buttons on the dashboard. "Here. This was something that the camera caught earlier."

On one of the screens, they caught sight of Hope in the hallway as he was searching around. Then, he raised his hand staring at the blood that was on it. "This was a camera in the same hallway that your mother's room was located on." Claire watched carefully at the screen as he started walking away. From it, she could see that it wasn't the time when they found out their mother was dead. He showed up after they discovered it.

"Wait!"

Claire looked surprised. "What is it?"

The soldier's eyes traveled between the dashboard and the screen. "We're getting something now. It's the Director's son."

Claire and Serah lifted their eyes surprised. From another screen, they noticed Hope go toward one of the doorways. Serah breathed out with relief and let out a smile. "Hope. He's all right." Claire continued watching the screen. From it, she could see Hope standing near the door for a few seconds and then soldiers from the Guardian Corp running in. "He must've let more soldiers from the east side."

From the screen, they witnessed Hope pointed forward with a serious stare and speaking with one of the soldiers. The soldier in the room turned toward Claire and Serah. "We believe that he is calling the attack. With both of you taken and the Primarch now gone, the Academy could easily take over. Now would be the time to go. What do you command princess?"

Claire's eyes drifted toward the ground. Her doubt began to set in and her mind torn. She didn't want to believe that Hope would do such a thing. All she knew was she had to protect Serah since she was the only family she had left. Serah grabbed onto her arm. "Claire! That can't be true! Hope wouldn't do something like that! If we just talk to him, we will see." Claire's eyes lowered more. She didn't want to risk it.

"It is strange. How could the Guardian Corp be here so fast when they are usually stationed on Pulse?" the soldier pointed out.

Claire's eyes widened at the fact that he just mentioned. It was true. Why were they already there?

* * *

_That's it for this chapter! Part two will be updated next time. As always, let me what you think._


	9. The Take Over of Eden Part 2

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up with the story, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts. _

_So this is part two, taking off from the last chapter. I hope that you will enjoy reading it. _

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_Chapter 9: The Takeover of Eden Part 2:_

As Claire, Serah, and the soldier were still together in the same room, Claire continued to stand contemplating on everything that was happening around her. Her mind became torn between who was the cause of the attack that was occurring. Could it be Hope along with the soldiers from the Academy? As much as her mind didn't want to think it was possible, a little doubt began to set in. Her eyes lowered. While her mind was debating, her heart wasn't. For now, it refused to believe that he would do such a thing.

Suddenly, a few soldiers ran in and pointed their guns. "Hands up! You two! Let's go by order of the Academy!" Hearing the soldier state that they came in the name of the Academy began to place even more suspicion in Claire.

The soldier who came along with them stepped in front of Claire and Serah. "It's like I told you. They're coming after you two." Quickly, Claire took Serah's hand and ran off toward the side to take cover. The soldiers began shooting and hit the soldier trying to protect them. He fell down to the floor, dead. From behind the dashboard, Claire shot back with her gunblade in order to protect her and Serah. At first, it was hard to pick up her gun, but she knew she had to fight back. It was a struggle but she managed to take out all the soldiers. Afterwards, the two stood up. Claire began searching around for a way they could get out as Serah stood in the same spot, staring toward the ground. "I can't believe this."

Claire's eyes lowered. It felt as if everything around her was breaking apart, but still this was no time to stop. "Serah. We need to get out of here. Help me find a way out." She began walking around, searching again.

More, Serah was getting worried about everything that was going on. "Claire. Maybe we should talk to Hope and see-."

Claire stopped in place as she held her head down. Anger began to take over her expression. "I said help me find a way out of here!"

Serah's eyes widened as she was afraid. Never had she heard her sister yell in such a way especially toward her. Right away, Claire wanted to apologize but she didn't. She didn't mean to lash out at her sister in anger but it was becoming harder to suppress the fear that was growing inside of her. All she wanted to do was focus on getting them both out. Serah listened and started looking around.

"Claire! Serah!" Once they heard the familiar voice, Claire and Serah instantly turned their heads to see Hope enter the room. He smiled in relief that he found them. "Good! You're both okay." Hope approached Claire but she walked backwards. A surprised look crossed his face. "Claire-?"

Soon, Claire felt her back hit against the wall. She closed her eyes tight as her fists baled at her sides. "Stay away from me! How could you do this?!" she yelled. No longer was she able to hold back her mixed emotions.

Hope was stunned by her cry but his expression soon grew to confusion. "Do what? What are you talking about?"

Claire didn't lift her head. She fought to keep herself together. "Did you set all this up just to take me and Serah?!"

Hope stepped forward. He didn't understand why she was acting like this. "Claire? Where is this coming from?"

Once she felt she was ready, Claire glared toward him with anger in her eyes. "Some guys from the Guardian Corp just tried to attack us!"

Hope was shocked by what he heard. That didn't make sense. It couldn't have been the soldiers from the Guardian Corp that attacked. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Are you both okay?"

Serah walked over to where they were. She was relieved to have Hope there with them. "We're both fine."

Hope turned his attention back to Claire who didn't seem to believe him. "Come with me. I can get you out of here safely." Claire's eyes drifted toward the side. The words that the soldier left her with were still going in her head. What if he was right in that the Academy was really attacking them? What if she did listen to Hope? What if he promised her safety now, but later she ended up being nothing but his prisoner and Pulse would take over Cocoon? Hope reached over and grabbed her hand. "Please Claire. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you or Serah. Just trust me."

Claire lifted her eyes to him and stared. It didn't seem as if he wasn't lying. Taking the time to think about it, she stood up straight and grabbed onto his hand. "Okay." Hope smiled with relief and was about to walk away but Claire wouldn't budge. He looked at her with surprise and saw her uncertain stare. Behind her expression, she was afraid that what she heard was true. "But first answer me this… How is it that the Guardian Corp is already here?"

At first, Hope didn't answer. The silence was starting to worry her but she had to continue. "The blood…on your hands…Is that from my mother?"

Hope turned stun that she would ask that. "No! Of course not! How could you believe that I would do something like that to you?! You-?"

Claire's eyes softened as she never took her eyes away from him. She hoped that she could trust her heart and not let that be her downfall. "You wouldn't lie to me right because you never have before right?" She took both of his hands. This was his last chance to tell her the truth before she decided what she would do. "And the reason you would never lie to me and you wouldn't do this is because…you love me right?"

Hope searched her eyes. He couldn't believe that she would actually doubt him especially on something like this. It was disturbing. "Right." Tighter, he grabbed her hands. No matter what, he had to protect her. "Of course I love you. I would never lie about something like this." His eyes traveled down to the necklace she carried around her neck. His fingers reached over and grabbed the ring that was on the chain. "Never."

Claire stared at him a little longer. She believed that there was truth in his words. Besides, the more time they spend there, the more likely they would get caught. Before she could say something, more soldiers ran in. "Here!" Claire and Hope went over to where Serah was. The soldiers pointed their guns toward them. "Now we got them. Good job keeping them here. The Academy would be proud."

Claire's eyes widened and quickly darted to Hope. "You-!"

Hope couldn't believe what the soldiers were saying. He turned to Claire hoping that this wouldn't make her distrust him. "I don't know what they're talking about! You have to believe me!"

Angry, Claire pulled out her gunblade. No one would take her or Serah without a fight. "Well too bad because I'm not going! Serah! Find somewhere safe to go!"

One of the soldiers smirked. "You sure that's a smart idea? Really we only need one of you alive."

Hope stepped in front of Claire with his boomerang in hand. "You'll have to go through me first."

Claire clutched her teeth. She had no idea what he was up to nor did she know if she could trust him right now. "I don't need your help."

"Claire believe me. I wouldn't do that to you." Hope pleaded with her.

One of the soldiers pointed forward. "Don't just stand there! Get them!"

Claire pushed Hope aside. "Go!" They separated and took cover as the soldier started shooting. The lead soldier looked angry. "Don't kill them!" Hope tossed his boomerang forward. It hit some of the soldiers and knocked some of the guns out of their hands. Claire took advantage and shot each of them except for the lead soldier. She stood up from where she was hiding, pointing her gun toward him. The lead soldier started to worry. His orders weren't to kill them but he needed some way to protect himself. His hand shook as he pulled a grenade off of his side. At first, he planned to just use it to scare them but saw that he accidentally ripped the pin out in the process. Panicked, he dropped it to the floor.

Hope's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. "Claire! Get out of there!"

Claire looked back worried. "Serah! Get down!" She took off running to take cover. Soon, the grenade let out an explosion and blew out a part of the wall that was in the house. The force of the explosion threw Claire's body outside onto unstable ground. Blood leaked from the side of her head as she was unconscious. Below, the ground was crumbling around her.

Inside of the house, the smoke disintegrated enough to see. Hope placed his arm down that he used to cover his face and opened his eyes. Across the way, he saw Serah lying down with her eyes closed. Worried, he rushed to her side. "Serah?!" He helped her to sit up. Soon, she opened her eyes a little. "Are you okay?"

Serah nodded. "Yes." Soon, her eyes searched around. "Where's Claire?"

Quickly, he searched around but didn't see her. "Claire?!"

Serah stood up and looked out toward the open wall that was caused by the explosion. From there, she could see Claire lying on the ground not moving. "Claire!" Serah rushed outside toward her. Hope noticed where she was headed and where Claire was. He was about to run out but more soldiers ran in. Serah made it to where Claire was and kneeled down to her. "Claire!" From above, she saw ships passing by sending attacks toward the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a cracking sound. She looked around before her eyes traveled down and saw that the ground around them was breaking into pieces. "Claire! Come on! You have to wake up! You have to wake up!"

Claire moaned a little as she started to regain consciousness. Through her blurry sight, she could see the inside of the house and Hope holding his own against the soldiers. Serah stood up and struggled to help Claire up to her feet. "We have to go. We're not safe here."

Hope looked back once he got a chance. "Claire! Serah!" Through her barely conscious state, Claire could hear his call. The weight that Serah pressed against the ground caused it to break more. Inside of the house, Hope tossed his boomerang to fend off the soldiers, but the soldiers managed to grab him. Hope struggled but then looked back and saw that Serah was outside with Claire as the ground was shaking around them. Serah placed Claire's arm around her shoulder and tried to walk but the ground caved in. Serah let out a scream as they fell through the sky. "No!" Hope yelled from across the yard as his eyes widened, scared.

As they fell through the sky, Serah opened her eyes. She could still feel her arms wrapped around Claire and in return, she could feel Claire's arms wrap around her tighter. Serah closed her eyes unsure of what they could do now. They were falling down from Eden unsure of what they could hit. As high as they were falling, it was unlikely that they could make it through.

Suddenly, they landed against something hard. Serah and Claire separated and rolled against the metal surface. Once Serah opened their eyes, she saw that they landed on a huge ship. She looked over and saw Claire lying still. She ran over and checked on her but she wouldn't respond. Still, she was breathing so that let her know that she was still alive. Serah sat down and placed Claire's head upon her lap. She grabbed onto her arms as she closed her eyes. The wind felt cold against her skin.

Later, Claire slowly opened her eyes to see the morning sky casted over her. Confusion over took her as she wondered what she was moving on. "Claire." Claire leaned her head back hearing the voice. Above her, she saw Serah with a smile of relief and concern. "Serah…? What happened?"

Serah wrapped her arms around her sister as she closed her eyes. "Claire! You're all right!"

Claire sat up as she pressed her hand to her head. She closed her eyes tight still feeling pain. "Where are we?"

"We fell from Eden and we landed on this ship."

Claire's eyes drifted toward the ground. It was good that they got away. For now, no one would come after them. She sat close to Serah and wrapped her arms around her legs. "We'll see where this lands and decide what to do after."

Serah looked a little concerned. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

For the rest of the trip, they remained silence until the ship eventually landed on a beach near the ocean. Claire and Serah waited on top of the ship until all the soldiers left from it before they got down. On the beach, the two began walking as they searched around. "Where are we?" Serah asked curiously.

Claire observed the area but didn't recognize the place as much. "I'm…not sure."

Serah stopped in place. "Maybe we should call for help."

A serious expression came to Claire's face. "No. We don't know who we can trust anymore. If we let the wrong people know where we are, there's no telling what they'll do to us."

Serah's eyes traveled toward the ground. She thought that they should let someone know but she decided to listen to the advice of her sister. Nearby, Claire noticed an empty bar that had a television on with a newswoman reporting on the screen. Curious, she walked in and listened in on the story.

"_Earlier in Eden, a lot of the area was damaged because of a massive attack early last night. There was a conflict between the soldiers of the Fal'Cie's PSICOM and the Academy's Guardian Corp, but we have to ask who really started this attack. Reports suggest that the Academy is responsible as their soldiers crossed over into Fal'Cie territory and were led by Director Estheim's son and the future Director of the Academy."_

On the screen, it showed an image of Hope watching as the soldiers entered into the house; a part of the same video that the soldier showed Claire in the surveillance room. Claire noticed as Serah walked in beside her and took a seat. Both of them lifted their eyes up at the screen as the news woman continued.

"_The question remains: why did the Academy lead an attack and did their attack have something to do with the death of the late Primarch? When asked for comment, the Academy refused to give a response. Investigations still continue in the murder of the ruler of Cocoon. In the case of who will take over the seat of Primarch remains a mysterious. The search still continues for the two daughters of the late Primarch. It has been several hours since both daughters have gone missing and so far no signs of either one of their bodies. Eyewitnesses say that they fell from Eden into the sky during the attack and disappeared. Officials are assuming the worse replying that no one could survive a fall like that. For now, a funeral will commence for Cocoon's late Primarch and to honor the daughters of the Fal'Cie order. Cocoon takes a moment of silence to mourn the passing of our great leader and the rest of the noble family that we have lost." _

Serah was surprised that people assumed that they were already dead. "But we're still alive!" Quickly, she turned her head to Claire. "We should tell them that we're alive!" Claire stood out of her seat and walked out onto the beach in silence. Serah wondered why she turned quiet and followed her. "Claire!"

Claire came to a stop. Already a decision was made in her mind. Slightly, she shook her head. "No Serah. We're not telling anyone we're alive."

Serah stepped out toward her. "Claire! We can't-."

Claire looked back at her. "Do you know what will happen once we tell them that we're alive?! We're going to end up just like mom and dad. Dead. I'm not letting that happen. Not to you."

"We don't have to let everyone know we're alive but we need help. We should find a way to Pulse-."

Claire knew where she was going with her suggestion and wanted to stop her right there. Instantly, her fist baled at her side tighter as she felt anger flowing through her. "Don't say it."

Serah was surprised by her reaction. "Claire… They can help."

"Serah. They were the ones that tried to kill us!"

"No! That doesn't make sense! Back there, Hope- He tried to-."

Claire started walking away. "Don't defend him and don't be so naïve." She sat down on a metal ship part that was on the ground and looked down. Around her neck, she saw her necklace that Hope gave her swinging back and forth. Her finger grabbed onto the ring that was on the golden chain. For a few seconds, she stared at it thinking about the one who gave it to her until her new found resentment for him and what he had done overwhelmed her. Forcefully, she grabbed onto the necklace and took it from around her neck. "That…!" She threw her necklace into the sand below her. "That bastard!" Claire held her head down while she buried her face into her hands as her pain and confusion came to the surface. Things were getting to be too much.

Nearby, Serah could hear her cries that Claire tried to hide. It was easy for Serah to see that she was shedding tears. Claire's body began to shake. She didn't want to cry over what Hope had done but the hurt she felt was deep. Serah wanted to comfort her but wasn't sure what to say. Soon, she walked over and picked up her necklace from out of the sand. She bent down in front of Claire. "You don't want to lose this." She pulled one of Claire's hands from over her eye and placed the necklace inside of it.

Claire pushed the necklace back into Serah's hand and replaced her hand back over her face. "Just throw it away. I don't want it. I…I was such an idiot for believing him all this time."

Serah smiled for comfort and sat down on the sand. Her eyes traveled around the ring over its golden surface and the inscription inside. Just seeing that made her think that Hope wouldn't intentionally hurt Claire like that. "I don't think you should part with it."

"Why do you keep defending him?! He lied! He betrayed both of us!"

Serah kept her eyes toward the ground. "I…don't think he really did." Claire rubbed her eyes as she looked over at Serah. "Back there, when you asked him if he really caused an attack on Eden, he seemed as if he was telling the truth, that he would never do that. I believe him and I think that some part of you believes him too." A surprised look arose on Claire's face. Serah displayed a small, comforting smile. "Come on Claire. You should ask yourself what you really believe. If you ask me, I think that he really meant it when he told you how he felt about you and you? You feel the same right?" Claire sighed as she closed her eyes and stood up. Her eyes gazed up toward the sky. Serah stood up as she looked anxious. "Right?!"

"Yeah." Claire didn't want to admit out loud much less to herself but she did still love him. She shook her head. "Still, it doesn't matter right now. We need to find out where we are." She took off walking and Serah followed behind. Soon, they found a woman standing alone on the beach. Claire went over to her. "Excuse me? Could you tell me where we are?"

The woman gave a gentle smile. "You're in Bodhum."

Claire nodded. "Thank you." After thinking about it, a surprised expression came to her face as she remembered something. Serah leaned over noticing her look change. "Claire?"

"I know what we can do now. Let's go." Claire took off walking with Serah. As she walked, Claire thought now about what she should do next. She had no plan to go back to Eden and she still had to take care of Serah. If she was going to be out on her own, then she had to find some way to support them both. To become stronger, she thought she should adapt a new image. To start over new again and change who she was. Someone who wouldn't let the shackles of the past affect her any longer. To get through the hurt and pain she suffered not only now but over the few years.

Suddenly, they heard thunder. Claire and Serah looked over to see dark clouds rolling in toward the island. They could feel the change in the wind as it was getting cooler. "Looks like it's going to storm soon." Serah pointed out.

Claire stared out toward the ocean. From far away, she could see the sky light up in the clouds. It wasn't long before she saw a strike of lightning off in the distance. "Let's keep going Serah."

Taking time to search around the island, Claire found what she was looking for. She knocked on the door of one of the local homes. Soon, the door opened and someone stepped into the doorway. He was a bigger man wearing a Guardian Corp uniform. Claire gave him a serious look. "Are you Sergeant Amador?"

Once he looked down, he was instantly met with surprise. "You two…? You're still alive?" He kneed down in front of Claire and Serah. "This is great! I'm glad you're okay." He smiled a little for comfort but behind it was sadness. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your mother."

"You're the only one I know around that was someone who was a friend of our dad's. We were wondering if you could..." Claire's eyes looked toward the ground, wondering what the man would say and how things would go from there. Regardless, she knew she needed to find someone that she could trust. It was a risk but it was the only thing she could think of. "help us."

Lieutenant Amodar nodded. "I see. We should probably get you back to Eden."

Claire shook her head. "No. Someone there was trying to kill us and if anyone knows we're alive, they could be coming after us again. We're not going back. Let Eden deal with its own mess of things."

Lieutenant Amodar looked down as he sighed. If someone was really out to get them, then it was better that they stay out of sight. "All right." He let out a smile. "I guess I do owe your dad a favor for helping me back in the war. You can stay here with us if you want."

"Thanks. We'll only stay for a while until we can find a place to stay on our own."

The man looked surprised but then relaxed. "No rush. I'm sure your old man wouldn't like it if I casted you out on the streets. It's been a while. The last time I saw you two was at your dad's funeral. Let me see. You must be Serah." Serah nodded. "And you. You're-."

"My name…" Along the way, Claire had been thinking of something new she could call herself to help leave her past behind. Something that sounded strong and like her new persona she could adapt. The one thing that stuck in her mind was what she saw during the storm. "Lightning." As the name left her lips, it sounded right to her in her mind. That would be the new name she would accept. She gave the man a serious look.

"My name is Lightning."

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_That's it for this chapter. Things will definitely change in the next one so I hope that you will continue reading. As always, let me know what you think and see you next chapter!_


	10. The Day That Fate Brought Us Together

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with the story, sending in reviews, and adding this to your alerts and favorites. The last chapter was a turning point in the story and I appreciate all the responses I got for it. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter. _

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_Chapter 10: The Day That Fate Brought Us Back Together:_

_Seven years later… _

A train was riding along the rail heading toward the dark Fal'Cie city known as the Hanging Edge. Abroad the train, people were dressed in white robes with blues lines going across them and hoods shrouding their faces in darkness. Whispers of worry were spoken among the people.

Nearby, a man leaned forward curiously as he looked over at the person beside him who kept their face hidden. "You sure about this? I mean… there are a lot of soldiers around."

"Quiet!" the mysterious person whispered loudly at the man. Inside of their hood, another head leaned in against their cheek. "Kupo?" Soon, a hand moved in and pushed the round, white head back into their robe. "You might want to hide somewhere else." they warned the head that was inside of their hood. In response, the head nodded.

Nearby, the doors slid open and a soldier walked into the cabin with a gun in hand. Bright yellow eyes glowed through the helmet of his PSICOM uniform. Once the mysterious person watched the soldier enter into the room, they got ready to carry out their next plan. Quickly, they stood up and rushed toward the soldier. Right away, the soldier saw the enemy approaching. "Hey!" The person in the robe attacked and knocked the soldier down. Hearing the commotion, more soldiers came in and saw the person in the robe next to the unconscious soldier. "Halt!"

"Better move." the person spoke to the one inside of their hood. They reached up and pulled down their hood, revealing the pink strands of hair underneath. Out of the hood, a moogle crawled out and flew off.

The soldiers prepared to shoot. "Stop right now!" The woman torn off the robe which made the soldiers react hastily and shoot toward it. The woman kneeled down and used the gun that she got from the soldier she knocked out to shoot the others. After she hit all of them, she stood up wearing a Guardian Corp uniform with the rank of Sergeant on her shoulder.

The people around her were starting to panic. The man sitting beside her from before removed his robe and tossed it to the side. He wore a green jacket and pants with black boots. His hair was shaped into an afro. He went over to the woman who got her gun in her hand ready to fire again. "Planning on stopping this thing?"

Shortly after, another soldier came in. The woman rushed and jumped forward, grabbing the head of the soldier. Using her anti gravity device, he forced the soldier back into next train cabin and pressed their head against the wall, forcing them to go unconscious. While she was alone, she opened the door of the cabin and looked outside. Ahead, she spotted the place where she was headed. Up in the sky, she saw a monster flying overhead. It made a loud enough roar for everyone around to hear. "Great." she muttered to herself.

"Hey!" She looked behind her and saw the same man from before that followed her onto the train along with the moogle she came in with. "That was nice of you getting rid of all the soldiers like that. Now these people won't have to worry about being on the Purge train." The man stepped over and stopped the train from moving. He watched as people got out and began to run off, but then he noticed the pink haired woman with the moogle flying ahead of her heading in the opposite direction from the rest of the crowd. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" The man rushed to catch up with her but she kept walking. "Where are you going now? Aren't you supposed to protect civilians soldier? I mean you are Sanctum aren't you? What are you doin' stopping the Pulse train like that? Will you at least tell me that?"

The woman stopped without looking back. "I was a soldier." Above, they saw ships flying, heading to where she was going as well: The Vestige. She was curious as to what they were up to but there was no time to wonder that now. All she had to do was make it up to the Vestige to save the one person that was taken from her.

* * *

On one of the ships traveling to the Vestige, there were two soldiers driving toward it. A man with a mask on his face and a cape wrapped around his body stepped in behind them. "How is everything looking?"

"Sir! It seems that we got away so we can get to the Vestige without suspicion. For now PSICOM thinks that we're on their side."

"Good." the masked man replied. "Let's just hope that this rumor that we heard is true." The man turned and walked away but then heard the soldier again. "Sir! Are you sure it's a good idea to be out here? If the Fal'Cie catches you-."

"I'll be fine." the man assured him. "This is a mission that I need to take on personally. Let me know when boarding is complete."

The soldier nodded in response. "Yes sir!"

The man continued walking further into the ship. Inside, he felt anxious but worried at the same time at what he might find. _"If what we heard is true, then maybe, just maybe I can feel at ease again and… her. I'll know for sure if I was right all those years ago." _

* * *

Down below, there was a gun fight between the PSICOM soldiers and some of the civilians. Through it all, the people managed to stop all of the soldiers. A blond haired man with a black cap and beige trench coat placed his gun over his shoulder as he smirked. He turned his head toward his friends, unsure about leaving them behind. "You guys sure you can handle things down here?"

Yuj placed his hand against his friend's shoulder as he smiled. "Yeah! Go hero! Get your fiancée!"

Maqui stepped forward and nodded. "Good luck Snow."

Lebreau placed her hand on her side. "You better come back with her."

Snow smiled, glad that he had the support of his friends. "Make sure that you get all of these people out of here. No one's getting Purged today. Not with NORA around!" He raised his black, gloved fist into the air. Instantly, he got smiles from all his friends.

Gadot walked over to a cycle vehicle as Snow went with him. Gadot leaned against the metal exterior and pointed up toward the Vestige. "She's waiting there ain't she? The love of your life? Isn't it about time you picked her up?"

Snow nodded and got into the cycle. "Don't worry. I'll will and I'll bring her back safe and sound." Gadot let out a smile. Soon, Snow took off and rode up toward the Vestige.

* * *

A gunblade struck hard against the door inside of the Vestige but it refused to open. Lightning continued to strike but still there was no response. Nearby, Sazh was sitting on the ground, watching her attempt to get the door to open. "Still won't budge? I think the door's winning."

Mog flew beside her, observing the door. "Maybe there's another way to open it kupo."

Lightning stopped as she started to calm down and think of another way to get it open. It was what stood between her and getting to the person that she came there for. She closed her eyes as she held her head down. "Why didn't I listen?"

Sazh arched his eyebrow as he overheard what she said. "Beg your pardon?"

She looked back toward him. "Cover your ears."

Sazh's eyes widened as he figured out what she was about to do next. "Oh! Blast charge?! Hold on, hold on!" He took off running and ducked for cover with his hands on top of his head and eyes closed. "All right! Go for it! Make it happen!"

Lightning stepped forward and placed her hand gently against the door. "I'm so sorry. Please let me in. Please?"

Suddenly, the lines on the door lit up as it became active and opened for her. Sazh waited to hear a sound but nothing came. He lifted his head as he looked over. "Have you started yet?" Then, his eyes widened in surprised once he saw that the door was open and she wasn't there. He stood up and figured that she left him. Frustrated, he sighed and ran after her hoping to catch up.

* * *

Further into the Vestige, Serah was lying unconscious on the floor. A moan escaped from her as she started to wake up a little. Nearby, she could hear the sound of feet hitting the ground. She tried her best to wake up but it was hard to get her body to respond. Whoever it was, she knew that she had to get out of there before they could do anything. The man dressed with a mask over his face and a cape around his body walked ahead of the soldiers that followed him. Ahead, his eyes widened in surprised as he saw Serah on the ground. There, after all this time, he finally found her again. Once he was close enough, he kneeled down and turned Serah over onto her back. With his hands, he sat her up a little. It had been some years but he still recognized her as the same girl he once knew. "Serah? Serah!"

Slowly, Serah opened her eyes to see a white mask with two red lines going vertically down it. Instantly, she got scared and tried to push the man away, but he refused to let go. "Serah. Calm down."

Serah stopped struggling and looked toward the man. "Who are you?!"

Behind the mask, the man let out a smile of relief. It wasn't an illusion. She was really there in front of him. "Relax." His black, gloved hand lifted the mask away from his face. "It's…a friend."

Once Serah saw who the man really was, she became shocked. Her hand lifted up toward him and gently touched his face. How could he be here? "It's- It's you!"

Meanwhile, Lightning continued running through the Vestige, searching around with Mog flying behind her. _"Serah? Where are you? I can't believe this. I let her out of my sight and she ends up being taking by the Fal'Cie. If they know who she is, then there's no telling what they might try to do next."_

Ahead, the man helped Serah stand to her feet. Her eyes traveled over to him as she let out a smile of relief toward him. He placed his mask back on to conceal his face. "I'm sorry but with the Fal'Cie and PSICOM around, I can't let them see me or let them know that I'm here."

Serah nodded, understanding. She was just glad that she was found by a friend instead of the soldiers that took her. "How did you know I was here?"

"A rumor got around that they had a Fal'Cie princess. The daughter of the late Primarch Farron. You don't know how long I've been looking for you. For both of you."

"Thank you. I don't know where my sister is right now. The only one they brought here was me."

Behind his mask, a look of surprise appeared at the mention of her sister. "So your sister? She's still alive?" he asked anxiously.

To answer him, Serah gave him a nod. Through his mask, she could hear his sigh of relief. A smile came across her face. Just by that alone, she could tell what that news meant to him. "Anyway we should get you to somewhere safe before the Fal'Cie or PSICOM figure out that we're here." The man looked over toward his soldiers. "They'll escort you to our ship."

Serah turned to him concerned. "But if she doesn't know where I am then-."

"Don't worry. Now that I know you're here, it will be easy to find your sister." Hearing that had put her more at ease. She would just have to trust that he could find her. Serah turned and walked along with the soldiers that the man brought with him. As the man stayed behind, his eyes traveled toward the ground, still taking in the news that he just heard. Now his next mission would be to find where she was. It was hard to believe after years of searching that he was close to finding her again. He never gave up on believing that she was alive. He was about to catch up with the others when he heard a voice.

"Serah!" Quickly, the man turned his head to see a pink haired woman running toward him. Serah and the soldiers turned as well. Serah was instantly met with surprise. Her sister came for her and she was there now. Once Mog spotted Serah, he flew over to her. Serah welcomed him with open arms and let him rest in her embrace. "Serah kupo!"

A gentle smile came across her lips. She was glad to see him too. "Mog."

Across the way, the man remained stunned. After all these years, he couldn't believe that she was there in front of him right now. The woman's eyes were locked onto him. She stopped running as her expression turned to anger. "You! What are you doing with my sister?!" She pulled out her gunblade from her carrier behind her and switched over to her sword. The man snapped out of his trance to see the woman getting ready to attack him. He jumped back as she swung her sword at him and landed on one knee on the ground. The strike slashed a part of his red cape off. The man raised his hand to his chest with his eyes widened, worried. She came close to cutting his skin. Quickly, he lifted his head to see that she was approaching. "Let go of her now!" she demanded.

Serah started to get scared that she would kill the man. She leaned forward as she wrapped her arms around Mog tighter. "Lightning! Don't hurt him!"

Lightning was surprised as she looked at the man's revealed uniform that was underneath his cape. "An Academy uniform?" she spoke under her breath to herself. What was a member of the Academy doing in a Fal'Cie holding facility? The soldiers he brought with him were dressed in PSICOM armor. It didn't make any sense. Regardless, if a member of the Academy was here to take her sister, then it only confirmed her suspicions from years ago. The Academy was the ones really after them.

The man held up his hands as a sign that he wasn't there to fight her. "I'm not here to hurt your sister. I'm here to help her along with you."

Lightning stood ready to attack again. "Really? Then what do you want from us? I suggest that you let my sister go now and maybe I'll change my mind on how I might kill you. Slow or quick."

The man could see that she wasn't going to listen. Lightning rushed toward him again. She was about to strike him down but the man reached toward his side and pulled out something of his own. Her blue eyes widened once she saw the gunblade that was holding her own off. Instantly, she recognized the gunblade as the one she had as a child years ago. It was bigger and more for an adult now but nevertheless, it was hers that she lost in Eden on the day of the attack. The inscription of her past name was still on the metal blade. Her eyes lifted to that of the man's. Why did it feel as if his eyes made her want to stop their struggle at that moment? _"Who… is this guy?"_ Lightning jumped back to regain her focus. The man stood up as he held the gunblade at his side. She couldn't help but stare at it. What was the man doing with her gunblade? More than that, why didn't he call on any of his soldiers to help attack her? Did he think that he could handle her on his own? She shook her confusion aside. What was more important was getting Serah back. "Last chance."

The man was worried. He didn't want to fight with her but only wanted her to listen. "Don't do this. If you give me a chance, I'll explain everything."

Lightning pointed her sword toward the man. "You do what I say then I might listen to you."

The room turned silence. Serah wished that the two would stop but would they actually? She couldn't risk Lightning killing the man especially if she knew who he was. The man stared at Lightning. "You don't recognize who I am do you?"

The question set Lightning off guard. Did she really want to know who he was? After all, he was from the Academy. The ones responsible for killing her mother, trying to take her sister, and destroying her life on Eden. Wasn't that enough? "Enough of this!" She ran toward the man. He reached toward his belt and threw something toward her. Lightning's eyes widened once she saw the object heading her way. It couldn't be.

A few seconds before it could hit, Lightning stopped it by placing her gunblade in front of her. Clearly, she could see what the object was. Everything about it brought up the past. The same boomerang that only one person carried. Little electric sparks from it caught her eye as he was ready to shock her. Lightning forced the boomerang to fly upwards. When she looked back, she saw the man speeding up in her direction with his gunblade in both of his hands. It was as if her past life was trying to hit her all at once. Before he could strike her, her gunblade collided with his. Lightning remembered the boomerang and saw that it was coming back toward her. The man forced the gunblade out of her hand and caught the boomerang.

She couldn't let herself be distracted. She kicked his hand, forcing his gunblade out of it and with her hands, hit down hard on his wrist, forcing the boomerang out of his other hand. Afterwards, she stood in a fighting stance. "You should hold on better to your weapons."

The man stood up straight. A smirk appeared on his lips underneath his mask. "The way I see it, it makes us even."

"Not for long." Lightning moved in and swung her fist toward him but he caught her wrist. That made her surprised. Maybe, she underestimated how quick he was. Her hand slipped out of his. She tried to hit and kick different places, but he blocked those with his hands and refused to fight back. Lightning lunged her knee to his stomach. He was too late to stop it and felt the full impact of her hit. She swung her leg around and knocked him down onto the ground with a round kick.

Serah held her hands to her lips as she started to worry again. Why wouldn't he just tell her who he was?

As Lightning was breathing hard, her eyes lowered to the man down on the ground in front of her. His body didn't move much. She walked over and grabbed her gunblade from off the floor. She felt that she played too long with this guy and it was time to end it. She switched it over to its gun counterpart and pointed it toward him. The man continued lying on the ground. He let out a little smile underneath his mask despite how much pain he was in. "You really have gotten tough over the years."

Lightning placed her finger over the trigger. A part of her was curious to see who it was but told herself it was better not to know. Only one person came to mind with everything she saw but she hoped for her sake that it wasn't. The man stood up as she continued to hold the gun. "Lightning! Don't do it! Don't kill him!" Serah yelled loud enough for Lightning to hear.

Just listening to her sister and her heart made her hesitate, but her mind she kept focused on what she needed to do.

"I looked everywhere for you." The man reached up toward his mask. "It's been a long time. Hasn't it Claire?"

At the mention of her name, Lightning's body froze. Inside, she was pleading out of all people don't let it be him but it was too late. Once he removed his mask, she saw the truth. The same beautiful emerald eyes and soft silver locks of hair that she grown to know all those years ago.

"Hope…"

* * *

_That's it for this chapter! So with this one, I used a few of the first scenes from FF13 and went from there rewriting it somewhat. I mentioned in the first chapter that there would be a mix of FF13 and FF13-2 so that's where it starts coming in. I hope that you liked it and as always, let me know what you think! Thank you! _


	11. Trust Me

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with the story and adding this to your favorites and alerts. I hope that you will enjoy the next chapter of the story._

* * *

_Chapter 11: Trust Me:_

"Hope…" Involuntarily and only noticeable to Lightning, her hand began to shake that held the gun. She resisted the urge to place her hand on top of the other so that she would put her gun down. No matter how she or Serah felt, the fact remained that he had betrayed them both and possibly killed their mother. Her body relaxed and resumed to aim for her target. Her expression of anger returned. The person that she trained and prepared herself for years if she should ever come face to face with him again she had been waiting to kill.

Hope walked forward with a smile of relief on his face. He looked a lot older and bigger than she saw him seven years ago. "Claire. I finally found you again. It's been so long-."

Lightning pressed her gun onto his heart. "Stay back."

He was surprised by her reaction. "Claire-?"

"That's not my name. My name is Lightning. That girl you knew a long time ago is dead and gone. You have some nerve showing your face back in front of me. Not after what you did."

"What did I do?! Why are you treating me this way Claire?!"

Lightning pointed her gun toward the ground and fired off a warning shot near his feet. The loud sound and how close it was made Hope stepped back. Afterwards, she lifted her gun back up, pointing it toward his head. "I told you don't call me that. My name is Lightning."

Hope held up his hands as a sign that he understood and there was no need to hurt him. "All right… Lightning." It was going to take some time to get used to calling her that name. "What did I do to make you point a gun at me?"

"You and the Academy attacked Eden seven years ago and tried to take me and Serah."

Hope held his hand to his chest as he looked serious. "We didn't! I told you that!"

Lightning's eyes drifted off to the side away from him. A bit of hurt showed through her expression. "Maybe I could get passed all of that. Maybe… but there's one thing I can't forgive you for." Her eyes turned back to him with an intense glare. "You killed my mother."

Hope's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that she would accuse him of such a thing. "You actually believe that I would do that to you of all people?" Soon, his expression changed into a determined, honest one. "I would never kill a member of your family. Not anyone you care about ever. Today I came here to save you and Serah from the Fal'Cie and the Purge. All these years I have been looking for you nonstop since the day we were separated at Eden. I didn't want to believe that you died that day." He held out his hand to her. "Come with me. I will prove to you that I had nothing to do with that day or killing your mother. Can you trust me again?"

Lightning stared into his eyes. This was her chance to take revenge for what happen that day but her doubt began to set in. Did she really believe him or was her heart telling her that he would never do that and making her blind to the truth? Once again, she saw no trace of lying in his eyes.

Suddenly, behind her, they could hear the sound of someone breathing hard. Everyone looked over to see Sazh bent down with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. "Wow soldier girl… You're hard to keep up with." Soon, Sazh lifted his head to see Lightning with a gun pointed to someone's head. He had to wonder what he walked in on. "Oh…Okay… I see I came at a bad time…"

Hope looked at the man curiously. "Friend of yours?"

Lightning sighed with her eyes closed and lowered her gun. She walked passed Hope. Hope turned around as he was surprised. He wondered if that was her way of telling him that she changed her mind. "Does that mean you'll come with me?"

Lightning placed her hand on her hip hoping that she would not regret what she decided. "You try anything funny then I'll do what I should have done a few minutes ago."

Hope breathed out as his eyes drifted toward the side. Did Lightning really hate him that much for something she thought he did? Sazh stepped in beside him. "Looks like she was giving you a rough time." Hope's eyes traveled over to the man before they moved back to her. Nearby, Lightning was standing in front of Serah. With her fingers, she brushed Serah's bangs from her face as she was checking on her and on everything that happened.

"Serah!" Hope and Sazh looked back to see a tall, blonde haired man. Serah and Lightning looked back as well. A smile instantly came on Serah's face as a frown came on Lightning's. "Snow!" Serah yelled as she rushed toward him. Snow ran over to her. They both met in the middle and hugged each other. Serah wrapped her arms around his waist as she leaned her head against his chest. "You're really here. You came for me."

Snow let out a gentle smile as he stared down at her. "Of course. Your hero will always be here to get you."

Then, they heard a loud sigh which they looked back. Lightning approached them with her arms crossed. "Of course the idiot had to come in."

A grin appeared on Snow's lips. "Oh come on! Don't be like sis!"

"I'm not your sister!" Lightning shouted upset.

Hope reacted with surprise as he overheard their conversation. What exactly happened over the years that he missed? He shook the thoughts aside and walked in the middle of them. "Come on. We better go. Someone will be here looking for Serah."

Curiously, Snow looked to Serah. "Where are we headed?"

Lightning gave a dull expression. "Do you really have to come along?"

Sazh caught up with the group. "Wait! Wait! Don't leave me behind here. I followed her in." he said as he pointed to Lightning.

Hope nodded. "Don't worry. There's plenty of room to take all of you. Being members of Cocoon, I hope that you don't mind going to Pulse instead."

Sazh and Snow looked surprised. The fact that Hope was going to Pulse and wearing a uniform only meant one thing. Sazh stepped forward to Hope. "Hey! Wait a minute! You're one of those Academy guys. An enemy of Cocoon."

"I prefer if we don't look at it that way. I rather not be considered as a enemy of Cocoon but more like a friend. The Fal'Cie is the one spreading that lie." Hope took off toward the direction of the ship he came in on. "It's your choice whether you want to follow us or not." His eyes traveled back to Lightning. "You are still coming with me right?"

Without answering, Lightning walked passed him. Silently, she had given him his answer. Snow looked over to Serah. "Can we…trust him?"

Serah nodded as she smiled, certain that they could. "Yeah. He's an old friend of me and Lightning's."

Snow smiled. "Good enough for me." They followed after Lightning and Hope. Sazh scratched his head still debating whether or not to follow them. If PSICOM spotted him there, he would be in some real trouble, and he wasn't sure how to get down from the Vestige. Suddenly, a chocobo chick flew from his afro and landed in his hand. "What do you think? Should I follow them?" The chocobo chick pointed toward them as he made a cheerful sound. It seemed as if there was a smile on his face. Sazh could already figure out his answer. "All right." The chick flew back into his afro and Sazh followed after the group.

As Hope continued walking, he placed his mask back on his face. Lightning noticed what he did and became curious as to why. A part of her urged herself to ask but she wanted to remain silence, lessening the interaction between them. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to him yet or if she could trust him, but inside she wanted to. After debating, she sighed loudly which Hope heard. She lifted her eyes to him. "Why are you wearing a mask?" At first, she hesitated but lifted his mask so that she could read his face.

Hope gave a kind smile before he stopped and removed it completely. "It was advised by a lot of people at the Academy that I not go to find out if the rumor was true and that the Purge caught a Fal'Cie princess. I couldn't let this chance pass if it meant it was true and somehow you or Serah were caught. Either way, I knew one of you would lead me to the other. I had to see for myself if you were still alive."

Lightning was little surprised that he had been searching for them this whole time. She thought that maybe he was fooled into thinking she was dead like Cocoon. At the same time, she was a little touched that he kept looking for her. Hope continued walking as Lightning followed along. "Anyway since no one could talk me out of going to Cocoon, they suggest that I hide my uniform and my face. If anyone from the Fal'Cie or PSICOM spotted me, they wouldn't hesitate on killing me. After all, the Academy is forbidden to come on Fal'Cie land now. For the most part, they're trying to get anyone that comes from Pulse kicked off of Cocoon. The result of our unresolved conflict is what's causing the Purge." Hope held his mask in his hand, looking down at it. "I guess this doesn't help as much since I can't hide my uniform."

Lightning's eyes drifted off toward the side. "Why didn't you just tell me who you were before I attacked you?" She knew the reason he couldn't hide his uniform was because she fought against him.

He smiled toward her. "I guess I was a little interested in seeing what you turned out to be. You were sometimes rough on me as a kid but even now, you still got me. I was surprised."

She didn't want to admit it but she was surprised by how he fought and more than that, she was a little impressed. He definitely learned more since they last seen each other. Behind them, Serah smiled as she watched the two interact. It was nice to see them talking instead of fighting. Maybe they could find a way to work through their problems. Snow noticed her expression. Her hand was latched onto his arm as they walked side by side. "Serah?" Soon, Serah turned her attention to the tall man beside her. "You seem happy."

At that moment, Serah was happy for more reasons than one but decided to just let him in on a few reasons. "Yeah. Things seem like they're all right now and you're here with me."

Snow looked over at Hope and Lightning ahead of them. His expression turned into a curious one. "So how do you and Light know this guy?"

Serah wasn't sure about telling him about her past. It was the one thing that she kept from him. From Lightning, she learned that she had to discrete so they didn't risk ending up in a situation like the one they were in now where people discovered that they were still alive. She wanted to tell Snow eventually. "It's a long story but-."

"Halt!" Everyone stopped once they saw PSICOM soldiers with guns pointed toward them near their ship. "Hands up!" The group listened. One soldier stood up straight. "Well well well. What do we have here? Director Estheim of the Academy."

Hope's expression turned serious. At first, Lightning was a little surprised to hear that Hope was already Director but it made sense. He was already working his way into that position years ago around the same time she would have already taking over as Primarch. The soldier stepped forward. "I expect someone else from the Academy to show his face around here but you? I guess it couldn't get anymore better this. We have permission to shoot on sight anyone from the Academy. Then again since you're ahead of it, it might be better if we bring you into the Primarch personally."

Lightning sighed as she rolled her eyes. She was getting tired of his talking. The soldier stepped toward her. "You got something to say?"

Lightning arched her eyebrow. "Nice gun." Quickly, she elbowed the soldier in the face and stomach and punched him down. Hope kneed down, taking advantage of her distraction and pulled out his gunblade. He switched to its gun and shot the rest of the soldiers. Lightning looked back and saw what he had done. She planned on take on the rest of the soldiers herself but she was surprised by how fast he took them out. When did he learn how to shoot like that?

Hope turned to the others. "We better go before more show up." They ran on to the ship. The two soldier who drove the ship before pressed a few buttons and took off from the Vestige. They managed to make it out of the Hanging Edge and head on their way to Pulse.

* * *

_That's it for this chapter! As always, let me know what you think and I will be back to update!_


	12. Along For The Bumpy Ride

_**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! Thank you for keeping up with the story, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts. I hope that you are enjoying it so far and will enjoy the next chapter of the story_!

* * *

_Chapter 12: Along For the Bumpy Ride:_

On the ship, Hope and the others stood behind the same two soldiers that were driving the ship earlier that Hope had brought along with him. While Hope and the others were talking among themselves, the other three soldiers glanced toward them before they looked at each other. Along with the drivers, they nodded toward each other.

Hope sighed with relief. "Good. Looks like we were able to get away."

Serah let out a smile. "Thanks again Hope for helping us."

Lightning's eyes traveled toward the side as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She wondered if Hope was truly helping them, and where would they go from there once they got to Pulse? Suddenly, she heard the sound of a gun click. When she looked over, she saw one of the soldiers pointing a gun toward her head. There was no sign of fear in Lightning. She only sighed wishing that she didn't have to deal with this. "Hands up!"

Hope, Serah, Snow, Mog, and Sazh turned their attention toward the yell. The rest of the soldiers pointed their guns except for one of the drivers. Everyone held up their hands expect for Lightning who kept hers crossed. Hope became upset with the unexpected setup. "Who are you?"

One of the men smirked. "I can't believe how easy this worked out. I didn't think it was true but the Director really found the two Fal'Cie princesses. We'll get a ton of money just for turning all three of you into the Primarch."

One of the guys elbowed the man who spoke. "Hey! We weren't supposed to say that!"

Hope's eyes traveled over to Lightning who remained calm and looked back at him. Through her eyes, he could see that she had something planned. One of the soldiers nudged Lightning's arm. "You heard what the man said. Hands up! Don't try anything funny."

Lightning knocked the gun out of his hand and punched the guy down. Hope reached into his belt while they were distracted and pulled out a grenade. "Everyone! Get down!" He tossed it over in front of the men which their eyes followed it. White smoke came out and began covering over them. Hope rushed in and pulled Lightning aside so that she wouldn't get caught in the gas he just released. He moved over to where the others were and got Lightning to kneel down with him. "Don't breathe it in." He grabbed the edge of her brown sweater and placed it over her mouth and nose. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that his fingers also latched onto a little bit of a golden chain. For a second, he was surprised but then averted his eyes to watch the men and wait until the smoke dispersed. He held Lightning's head against his shoulder to help shield her further from the smoke.

After a minute, the smoke began to clear. On the ground, the men were lying with their eyes closed unconscious. All of a sudden, Hope and the others could feel themselves beginning to slide toward the front and a shift in the ship as if it was diving down. Snow lifted his head as he was concerned. "Uh-oh."

Hope looked over toward the driver seat and dashboard. "We need to take control of the ship."

Sazh pushed himself up on his feet and ran forward. He moved the knocked out driver out of his seat. "Don't worry! I got this!" He grabbed onto the controls and got the ship under control so that they would fly straight again.

Serah, Snow, and Mog sighed in relief. Serah pressed her hand to her chest as she still hung onto Mog. "That was close."

Mog slipped out of Serah's hand. "We're okay now kupo!"

Hope's eyes traveled toward the ground in disbelief. How could he be deceived by people that he thought he could call his own soldiers? "I can't believe it. It's getting harder to trust anyone these days. I should've suspected that someone else would check in on this rumor especially the Fal'Cie."

Little did Hope notice that Lightning was starting to get irritate beside him. "Hope?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention to her. "Yeah?"

The anger became clear on her face. "You mind taking your hand away."

Hope realized that his arm was wrapped around her waist and his hand was touching against her lower back. Quickly, he took his arm away. "Sorry."

She stood up. "I don't need your help." The others stood up after. Lightning turned and headed toward the back of the ship to somewhere she could relax and get away.

As Hope watched her walk away, the same question that he had before popped into his mind. There was something that he had to know. "Wait!" He rushed over to her and grabbed her wrist. Lightning slipped her arm away and turned to him. "What?"

The expression on Hope's face turned serious. "I know you didn't need my help but I still wanted to."

"Hm." Lightning snorted. She placed her hand on her hip. "Just stay out of my way next time. Got it?" she warned him. She was about to walk away but suddenly a hand slammed against the wall, blocking her way. Her eyes traveled over to see him with a look of concern in his eyes. "There's something I want to ask you."

She crossed her arms as she frowned. "Whatever it is, I'm not interested. So now, I suggest you move your arm."

Hope placed his hands against her shoulders and made her turn toward him. Lightning glanced down at his hand. She thought about forcefully taking them away but she didn't. After he removed his hands, he stepped forward as she stepped back. For a second, she was surprised but tried to hide it as he approached her. Her back hit the wall as her eyes stared up into his emerald ones. He pressed his hands against the wall on both sides of her in hopes that she wouldn't try to escape him. The two stood at a close distance more than Lightning would have liked at that moment. She wondered what he was up to. "Do you still have it?"

Lightning's eyes traveled to the side as she refused to answer. There was no need to ask what he wanted to know. She knew what he was talking about. "Lightning?"

Still, she remained silent as she kept her eyes away from him. Hope sighed, seeing that she wasn't going to answer him. His fingers reached up toward her neck. He peeled back a part of her sweater but saw nothing. He moved over toward her zipper and began pulling it down. Lightning couldn't believe that he was doing so. "What are you doing?" She grabbed onto his hands, trying to stop him. It was a bit of a struggle but he managed to catch a glimpse of the gold chain around her neck. He didn't have to pull the zipper down much to see it. He grabbed the chain and pulled out the necklace. His eyes weren't deceiving him. The necklace he had given her years ago still hung around her neck. Surprised, he lifted his eyes to hers. "So you do still have it! Then that must mean that some part of you believes me when I say that I didn't do anything to hurt you! Right?!"

Lightning took the necklace from his hand. She reversed where they were standing and pushed him against the same wall she was just pressed on. She pushed her arm against his neck. Her glare pierced tensely on him which made his body stunned. "Don't ever try anything like that again!" Afterwards, she released him and zipped up her sweater as she walked away and left.

Serah let out a sigh as the room turned quiet. It seemed that things were already starting to get worse between them again. She headed in Lightning's direction, thinking that she should check on her and calm her down. Mog followed behind her. "Serah kupo?"

Serah looked back and gave a small smile despite how awkward things were now. "I'm going to check on Lightning. I'll be back."

After she left, Hope closed his eyes and placed his head down as he pressed his hand against his head. What was he thinking? Making a move like that on Lightning was too quick especially when he was on thin ice with her already. Snow was confused as to what was going on. He wanted to ask about it, but for now, he noticed the soldiers that were knocked out on the floor. "Hey!"

Hope lifted his head. "Yeah?"

Snow pointed back toward the soldiers. "We should probably do something about these guys."

Hope looked toward them on the ground and then nodded. "Yeah." He found some rope in the back and with Snow's help, tied them all up. Once he got back to the Academy, he would let the Guardian Corp deal with them. After they were done, he sat down in a chair behind the passage's seat and pulled up a screen. He needed something to take his mind off of what just happened with Lightning. The only thing he could think of was checking up on any of the latest news or working on something for the Academy.

Snow leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms as he watched the silver haired man. Never had he seen someone interact with Lightning like Hope did before. He wasn't sure if it was his place to ask, but Lightning was supposed to be his future sister in law…hopefully. She wasn't happy about the idea of him and Serah getting married. Also, he knew that she wasn't one to let a lot of people get close to her so why did Hope get away with it sort of? Exactly how much history was between Hope, Lightning, and Serah? As much as he wanted to ask, he kept quiet for now.

* * *

At the back of the ship in a room, Serah walked in with Mog to see Lightning sitting on an empty bed. It was too late to hide that she was staring at the necklace around her neck. Lightning let it fall against her chest and lifted her head to Serah. "Why did I let you convince me to keep this thing? It's causing nothing but trouble."

Serah sat down beside her as she let out a comforting smile. "Because I know that deep down you want to keep it because it means something special to you."

Lightning shook her head. "You're really reading too much into this."

Serah leaned forward as she looked over at her sister's face. A slight grin came to her lips as she arched her eyebrow. "Oh really? I'm not forcing you to keep it."

"I believe your words were either keep it or regret it later." Lightning reminded her.

Serah's eyes traveled toward the side. She felt that there was another reason that she was keeping from her. "Something like that. Tell me why do you still keep it?"

Lightning lowered her eyes toward the necklace hanging around her neck. "It serves as a reminder of what we lost and who could have been the cause of it." It was one of her reasons she told herself, but deep inside there was another. That reason she didn't want to bring to the surface because she felt it was a distraction. Still, she wondered if it had a possibility of ever happening. Could things ever go back to the way they were when they were once happy?

* * *

At the head of the ship, Hope continued focusing on his screen. After a while, it helped take his mind off of what happened earlier for the most part. Snow leaned off of the metal wall. Taking some time to think about it, maybe it was the right time now to ask questions and get answers. "So? How do you know Lightning and Serah?"

Hope glanced back at the blond haired man before he turned his attention back to his screen. "We're…old friends."

"That's the same thing Serah said but she didn't say how you guys met."

"Maybe it's better if you let Serah explain it to you herself."

Snow scratched his head as he turned it. He was interested in hearing the story now but maybe it was better if Serah told him. "All right. It's still surprising you know?"

Hope was curious to his statement. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Light. By now she would have broken a guy's arm or kill without thinking about it but somehow you got from under her wrath. I guess I'm wonder why you came out with no broken bones?"

Hope thought about earlier in the Vestige when Snow first found Serah. Lightning didn't seem too happy when he showed up so he wondered why. "I could ask the same of you. She didn't seem too happy when you found Serah."

"Well…that's a long story too but seriously what's the deal?"

Sazh kept his eyes to the sky as he kept driving the ship. "I'm interested to know that myself. She pointed a gun right at you but you didn't seem that scared at all. Even I thought she would was going to end it right there."

Hope pressed a few buttons on his screen, making it seem as if it was no big deal. "Lucky I guess."

Snow walked over and sat down next to Sazh. "I doubt that. What's really going on?"

Soon, Hope could see Sazh and Snow staring back at him waiting for a real answer. Hope sighed as his eyes drifted down. "Maybe I shouldn't say."

Now Snow was really interested since he seemed close to hearing the story. When else did he have a chance to learn more about his future sister in law? His lips curved up into a grin. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Sazh shook his head. "You don't have to worry about me telling anything to her." He pointed toward Snow. "I don't know her as well as this guy over here."

Hope could see that they really wanted to know which was starting to break him. "Um?" Both of them leaned forward interested. "Well…"Finally Hope sighed, giving up. "She wasn't always called Lightning."

"I figured that. She wouldn't tell me what her real name was and Serah won't tell me either." Snow said.

Hope started to get concern at the thought that Lightning could walk in at any moment to overhear him talking about the history between them, or that one of them would let what he said spill out to her. Either way, he knew if she didn't bring up the past, then she might get upset if he did. Since they were still alone, he decided to let them in on a little. "I know that because… I knew her from a long time ago."

"And?" Sazh pushed him along.

Hope kept his eyes on his screen. "And at one point in time she might have been…" He held his fist up to his lips as he cleared his throat. "My girlfriend." he spoke lowly.

Snow's mouth dropped once he heard him. Never had he known Lightning to have a boyfriend. Sazh arched his eyebrow. It sounded as if there was more to this story. "Might have been?"

Hope's eyes drifted toward the side. "Well…not just that but she was, at that point in time… my fiancée."

Instantly, Snow stood up and went over to Hope even more shocked with what he heard. Hope reacted with surprise once Snow grabbed his shoulder. "You…" A big grin came on his face. He still couldn't believe it. "You were engaged to sis?! How did that even happen?!" He looked away toward the side as he placed his fingers to his chin. "Lightning never mentioned it before."

Sazh turned around in his chair. "I'm guessing by the way she said hey to you for the first time in years, things didn't end up with you two talking about wedding plans and hearing wedding bells. What did you do?"

Hope's eyes drifted down toward the ground. He wasn't sure how things got so twisted around either. Once the two of them were happy, but now Lightning treated him with such hatred. He wasn't sure how things could go back to how they once were. So much had changed to the point that no longer was their engagement as clear as black and white on a contract. Not between them and not to either world around them.

Snow realized that Sazh had a point. He looked over at Hope. "Yeah? What happened between you two? That might explain why Lightning doesn't like me marrying Serah."

Instantly, Hope's expression changed to shock. "You're marrying Serah?!"

Snow let out an optimistic smile. "Someday hopefully. Still what happened?"

Hope looked away, uneasy. "Maybe this isn't the best time to talk about this."

"All right." Snow decided to leave it alone for now. "Anyway, I don't think that we've been introduced. My name is Snow Villers." He held out his hand in front of Hope.

Hope shook his hand. "Hope Estheim and you?"

Sazh turned around in his chair. "Sazh Katrozy."

Snow placed his hand on his side. "Man! To think that sis at some point was-."

"Hey!" Once the guys heard the cheerful greeting, quickly their eyes darted over to see Serah heading toward them with Lightning and Mog following behind. Serah noticed the worried looks on their faces and became curious as to why. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing!" all three of them nervously replied. Hope and Sazh turned around in their seats and Snow sat down beside Sazh. Serah walked over and leaned over toward Snow as she started to speak. Lightning sat in the seat across from Hope avoiding eye contact with him. Hope glanced at her but then returned back to looking at his screen. He had to say something to help smooth things over. After wondering silently of what he could do, he made his screen disappear. What he was thinking of doing now could make things either better or worse. He kneeled down beside her. "Is it all right if I talk to you?" he kept his voice low between the two of them.

Lightning refused to turn her head as she leaned it against her hand. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Please? There's something important I want to say to you. Please?" Lightning's eyes met with his. She leaned up and back once she saw how close he was to her again. Finally, she breathed out loud. There was nothing he could say that could make things better but why was she giving him the chance? She stood up from her seat. Hope took it as a sign that she would go with him. They walked over toward the back of the ship. The others didn't turn their heads but could tell that they were leaving. Lightning continued following Hope until they were out of ear range for the others. Once they stopped, she crossed her arms and waited for him to start. Hope gave a look of regret. "I'm sorry. It was wrong what I did."

Lightning arched her eyebrow. "Was that it?"

He scratched his head. "Kind of…"

Lightning sighed loudly and was about to walk away, but Hope stepped in front of her. "I didn't want you to be mad at me but I just… had to know. I know that my words mean nothing now, but I want you to believe me when I say I had nothing to do with that attack on Eden that day."

"Let me guess. One big coincidence?"

"Yes! I was looking forward to that day. You were moving from Eden and I would have gotten to see you more because you would have moved to Palumpolum with me."

Lightning looked away from him. She didn't want to listen to him but she heard everything he said. She wished that was the case that she would have just moved that day and not have her life turned upside down. To Hope, it didn't seem as if she believed him so he turned and decided to leave her alone. That was until he heard her speak. "So where do we go from here?"

The question threw him off a little because when she said that, he couldn't help but think that she was talking about the two of them and their relationship. Since she was still angry with him, he knew that couldn't be it. "We're heading for Academia. There, you should be safe from the Purge and the Fal'Cie looking for you."

"You mean now that they know that Serah's alive?"

In response, Hope nodded. Lightning looked over toward the window at the front of the ship where the others were. Her face began to soften along with her guard. "You kept promising that you would take me to Pulse. To show me everything that was there. I guess you finally made good on that promise."

Hope smiled. "I wish that it was under better circumstances. I always believed that you would like it there." Her eyes turned back to him as he continued speaking. "I'll still do it. I'll show you everything you want to see."

At that moment, Lightning told herself to back away. Hearing that sentence alone made her wonder if, in some way, he was telling her how he still felt about her. If so, she wouldn't let herself be sucked back in. Hope looked curious, noticing that she seemed tense. "Are you okay?"

She let a frown tug at her lips as she glared at him. "Next time you try that little move you pulled, I'll break your fingers one by one." After giving her warning, she headed back to her seat. The warning scared Hope. One minute they seemed as if they were getting along, and next she was back to despising him again. He just wished the moment they got along could've lasted longer. Afterwards, he returned back to his seat as well.

Sazh looked back at him. "Hey Hope! Mind telling me where I'm landing this thing?"

"Right." Hope responded and proceeded to giving him the directions.

When Lightning looked over toward the passenger seat, she noticed that Snow was staring back at her with a slight grin. He couldn't help but remember what he just learned about her from Hope. She started to get annoyed. "What are you looking at?"

Snow turned in his seat toward the front. Maybe he was staring too long. "Nothing! Nothing! Just…wondering about…stuff."

The expression on Lightning's face changed to confusion. Quickly, she turned her head to Hope who pretended not to notice and didn't respond by looking at her. In his mind, he just hoped that she wouldn't find out what he told Snow or she might have another reason to add to her list for killing him.

* * *

_Thanks for reading and I hope that you will stay tuned for the next chapter. As always, let me know what you think. Until the next update!_


	13. A Dangerous Game Time To Play

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story, sent in reviews, and added this to your favorites and alerts! I have to say that I enjoyed writing this chapter! It was fun to write! I hope that you will enjoy reading it!_

* * *

_Chapter 13: A Dangerous Game... Time To Play:_

Sometime later, Hope and the others landed in Academia near the headquarters of the Academy. Night was already upon the huge city. Once Serah and Lightning stepped out of the ship, they were surprised by how the city looked. It seemed more advance than what they remembered Eden to be. Nearby, Snow and Sazh looked around as well. After Hope spoke with the Guardian Corp, they took away the men that tried to attack them on the ship. When he looked back to Lightning and Serah, he saw the amazed expressions on their faces and couldn't help but smile. He was glad that he got the chance to bring them there. It was something that he wanted to do for a long time. "Hey! This way!"

Serah and Lightning turned their attention to him and caught up with him along with the others. Following Hope, they walked up to the top floors of the Academy building. After showing a room that Snow and Sazh could stay in, Hope traveled further down the hall with Lightning and Serah to show them to a room they could stay in for the time being. Before he reached their room, he stopped for a moment and pointed toward one of the doors. "And over here is my office. If you need anything, then I'm usually in here. You'll be nearby in the room at the end of the hall."

Serah replied with a nod. "Okay."

"Director!" Suddenly, they heard the sound of a girl's voice cry cheerfully from further down the hall. When Hope turned back, he felt his arm being grabbed. The girl leaned her head against his arm. "Director!" The blond haired girl lifted her head to look up at him. "I heard that you were back! I'm glad that you made it back safely!" Again, she pressed her head against his arm, making Hope feel more uncomfortable. She was grateful to see him again especially after worrying about him going on the dangerous mission that he did.

Lightning arched her eyebrow, wondering who the girl was that was all over Hope. Watching them, she felt something dwell inside of her chest. When she wondered what it was, all she could figure was that she didn't like the fact that the girl was all over him. She could feel her muscles tensing in her arms. She restrained herself from tearing her arms off of him and waited to see what would happen next. It would give her some sort of clue as to what she was to him. Serah stood surprised, wondering what the girl was to him as well.

Hope struggled and managed to push the girl's arms off of him. When he looked over, he noticed Lightning's and Serah's expressions mainly Lightning's. She wasn't hiding the fact that she seemed bothered by it. He knew how it must've looked to them. "Lightning, Serah, this is my assistant Alyssa. If there's anything you need, feel free to ask her."

Alyssa smiled. "It's nice to meet both of you! Welcome to the Academy!"

Serah glanced at Lightning who turned her eyes away. She could tell that her sister didn't seem happy. Nervously, she smiled toward Alyssa. "It's nice to meet you too."

Alyssa looked curiously at the moogle that was flying beside her. She poked her index finger into his white, pudgy belly. "And who's this little guy?"

Serah's eyes traveled over to him as she smiled. "This is Mog! He's a friend of ours."

"Kupo!" Mog replied cheerfully.

Since they got introductions out of the way, Hope decided that it was time for them to go. "I'll show you guys to your room." He was about to walk away, but Alyssa turned to him. "I could do that if you want me to."

Hope stepped aside from Alyssa and gave her a faint smile. "It's all right. I think I can handle it."

Lightning rolled her eyes off to the side. Soon, he walked along with her and Serah. The door to their room opened in front of them. Inside, they saw two beds with a window view of Academia. Curious, Serah went in with Mog and gazed out of the window. "Wow! It's really nice out here. Lightning. You should come see it."

Nearby the door, Lightning was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as Hope stood in the doorway. "Like I said if there's anything you need please don't be afraid to ask."

Serah looked back as she smiled. "Thank you Hope."

He nodded and turned his attention to Lightning as he smiled. "Don't worry. You two are safe here."

"Sure we are." Lightning replied sarcastically.

It seemed to Hope that she was mocking him and that something was still bothering her. His smile soon became replaced with a frown. "What? Don't believe me?"

Lightning turned away from him. "Good night Hope."

He started to get upset. Why couldn't they just finally get along? "What is your problem now?"

She turned back to him as she looked a little surprised. Soon after, she got just as upset. "My problem?"

He stepped forward toward her. "I haven't done anything to show you that I wasn't on your side. I even helped stop those guys who were trying to take all of us."

Lightning shrugged. "So what? I could've done that on my own."

Mog flew over beside Serah as they were watching the scene unfold. They both started to feel uneasy. "Should we go kupo?"

Serah had to agree that was probably the best idea. "Better not let them know that we're here. It might ruin the chances that they might work something out or…it could just get worse."

Mog started to get a little worried. "We might get caught in the middle kupo."

Serah stepped off to the side into the next room which was a living room like area out of sight from Lightning and Hope. Even there, she could overhear their argument. Mog on the other hand kept himself hidden on the side of the bed close to the room that Serah was in. He continued watching the two. Regardless, both Lightning and Hope forgot that they were even there. "Anyway Director… I think that we'll be fine here. I'm sure you have other stuff to do."

Hope was surprised more that she called him by that title and how she sounded sarcastic toward him. He crossed his arms. If she wanted to go down that road, he would follow. "Like what?"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "How would I know?"

He leaned against the doorway, interested in her reasoning. "Then why do you assume that I have other stuff to do? I could have made all the time in the world just so that I could find you."

"Please. Like I was the first thing on your to do list. Why don't you go focus on something else?"

"Like what?" he asked curiously.

"Why don't you play Director somewhere else? Like with your assistant?" Afterwards, Lightning turned from him and started heading toward a bed she could sleep in for the night.

Instantly, Hope closed his eyes as he began to snicker into his arm that was pressing against the doorway. He didn't think it was true but after hearing that, he still couldn't believe it. Lightning looked back at him curious. "What? What's so funny?"

He laughed a little longer before he opened his eyes and got himself to stop. "I was- I was just wondering why you said that. I guess that is something I could do." He noticed her reaction change for a second into an unhappy one.

She wondered if her suspicions were true that he had really moved on. She sat down on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed and gave a slight shrug. She made it seem as if the news didn't faze her one bit. "Okay. It's not that it matters. It's not any of my business."

Hope smiled. "You're right. It's not." He could see that she was trying to hide how angry she was about it but it was easy to see her tensing over it. His lips curved up into a smirk. He figured it was time to call her on how she really felt about what she assumed. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"You're actually jealous." It was hard to believe that she would be since he hadn't seen her act that way over something like this before.

Lightning's eyes widened. Appalled by what he said, she walked back over to him with her fists baled. "Don't be stupid! Why would I be jealous of you?!"

Hope stepped in letting the door close behind him. "Not jealous of me but just of the thought that I might have moved on with someone else."

"You're so full of it. After what you did, why would I even give you a second thought?"

"If you would actually listen, you would know that I didn't do anything." His eyes traveled down to her necklace and held it in his hand. Afterwards, his eyes lifted to meet hers. "And I think the fact that you're still wearing this shows me that you don't completely believe that I would do it either."

"You can take this back." Lightning was about to take it off but Hope held her hands down against her chest. "Well I'm not going to because I gave it to you."

She stopped moving her hands against his and stepped back. She didn't realize that she hit a wall until it was too late. That only allowed Hope to move in closer almost blocking her in. Lightning frowned as she kept her eyes locked to his. "You have a lot of nerve."

He leaned in closer toward her face. "Only because you make me this way. You won't listen to anything I have to say. What else am I supposed to do?"

Her eyes drifted down from his as she turned quiet. She did come there because he said that he had proof that he didn't do anything wrong. For now, she would let that part of the conversation go. Instead, she turned to another part that he mentioned earlier. She closed her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Just so you know. I'm not jealous." For a few seconds, she leaned in closer to his face, her lips barely an inch away from his, before she turned her head away. With her arms, she nudged him back a little and walked out of his reach.

A smirk came on Hope's face as he leaned his hand against the wall and closed his eyes. Once again, she could get underneath his skin just like he figured that he could under hers. Both of them realized that this was a dangerous game that they were playing with each other. Only two questions could be asked right now: How long were they going to keep playing and how deep were they willing to go before it got to be too much? Hope stood up straight and looked at her. "Just so you know there's nothing going on between me and anyone else."

Lightning crossed her arms as she leaned back against the wall and pressed her foot back against it. "So? Why would I care?"

He stepped over to her. "Just to let you know for any reason. Maybe a thought I had."

She arched her eyebrow. "What?" As soon as the one word left, a part of her regretted that she was letting this conversation go on.

Once again, Hope moved in closer, invading her personal space. "Earlier you gave me the idea that I could play Director. I was wonder if I could play Director with someone like…"

"You cannot be serious." Lightning got what he was implying. Just by his deep stare alone, a complete stranger could get where he was going with this. She couldn't believe that he was flirting with her. She looked irritated, but on the inside she was a little amazed by how bold he was being. Maybe she saw a slight side of him like this when they were younger, but now it was the worse she ever seen. In her mind she kept asking herself why she was still putting up with this and to kick him out right then and there. Her lips didn't move to speak but she only leaned her head against the wall still having a stare contest with him. There was no discretion in his movements as he was slowly approaching her.

Another thought crossed her mind. Did she actually like his pursue of her? It was ridiculous to think so, but yet she refused to use any means of her to fight. Maybe it was because she didn't want to since they knew each other as kids or maybe her interest in their little game. Either way, she wasn't ready to admit the real reason and kept pushing the obvious fact away of why she was really letting him stay.

Hope was surprised that he got this far acting the way he did with Lightning. It wasn't something he usually did, but then again the only woman he really flirted with was her. He was sure by now she would have used some means of force against him or kicked him out, but she didn't. The fact that his comments seemed to make her upset with a few comebacks from her and something else that he couldn't put his finger on yet, kept him wanting to push her even further just until he made it to the edge if there was one. There had to be one and he would stop once he found it. A curious look came into his eyes. "And what if I was?" He was afraid to ask but more than that interested in hearing her response.

Lightning closed her eyes. Still, she kept yelling mentally at herself to end it now, but instead she found herself doing the opposite. A dark look came in her eyes as a slight smirk came on her lips. Maybe there was another way to scare him off by playing at his own game. Her face was only inches away from his. Her teasing could get to him just as much. "Please. You couldn't handle it." she spoke softly. Her blue eyes lifted up to his which almost made him jump. She was pretty sure after she gave him her reply, she saw a hint of a blush come on his face. If she started keeping count now, that would be a mental score of 1-0. Maybe now he would decide to back down but not before she finished it off. "Not even if I gave it right to you."

The response she gave even made the eavesdroppers of their conversation blush. Never had they heard Lightning speak that way before.

Hope was caught by surprised. Definitely, he was not expecting that. Were words that were once a joke just got serious? He thought about calling it off right then but wondered. Was that something she expected him to do or did she want him to keep playing along? Wasn't she still angry with him? At the same time, he wondered if she still carried feelings for him. No matter how many years have passed, she could still cast the same spell of confusion over him. Now it was up to him to what path he wanted to take.

Then, he saw the smirk disappear off her face. She was about to turn around but suddenly she felt his hand grab her arm. Getting upset, she was about to say something but he beat her to it. With his face only inches away from hers, he was ready to give her his answer. "Try me."

Lightning turned quiet as she heard him. Her eyes widened a little. What he actually said to her she had to play the words again in her head. The smirk returned back to his face. Things became clearer as to what she was up to. Now he wasn't going to back down especially if it meant to catch her. Soon, she could feel his face brush softly against hers. Her eyes closed as her body began to relax. His hands reached to her waist. He was afraid that she would back away but she didn't even flinch. Against her lips she could feel his warm breath. She could remember the way he used to kiss her. Even some part of her missed how he did so. Lightly, his lips brushed against the tip of hers. He could feel her lips part and lean forward but Hope backed away. He opened his eyes partly just as she did. "You shouldn't test me like that. I might actually believe you." he whispered between them.

Upset for letting things get this far, she pushed Hope away. She crossed her arms as she looked toward the side and leaned back against the wall. "You-." Frustrated, she exhaled heavily.

Hope looked over at her. He couldn't help but have a smile. Maybe Lightning didn't detest him as much as he thought. Then, he noticed the rank that was on her shoulder which his expression changed to surprise. "You're a part of the Guardian Corp?" He placed his hand on his head as he turned his head aside. "I've been looking for you all this time. How could no one notice that you were right in it?"

Lightning placed her hand on her hip. "Because I went under a different name. It was risky but I didn't want you to find me."

Hope became hurt to hear that. After all this time of searching all over Cocoon, Lightning was deliberately hiding from him. She noticed his expression but then turned her head. She didn't want to see how disappointed he was. That would have possibly made her feel guilty. He looked over, letting his sadness go. What was important now was that he found her. "So? You're in the Guardian Corp?" his voice started to cheer up somewhat.

"Yeah so what?" She didn't understand where he was going with this.

He stepped toward her. "I'm curious as to where you've been all this time. Still, that means you work for me."

She wished that he wouldn't say that. She tried her best to put that out of her mind several times but there was one advantage to being in this military. She had better access to Hope than being in PSICOM which meant that she could take her vengeances out on him for what he had done.

A faint smile came on his lips. "That means I could have you here if I want."

Lightning turned toward him. She really hoped that he didn't carry through on that idea. "Yeah right. Like I would come here."

"But you see you might not have a choice. Since I control the military, any command I give-."

She leaned forward toward him as she looked upset. "I won't take orders from you. Get that through your head right now."

A smirk appeared on his lips. He had to admit her spirit was admirable but also her resistant was really attractive to him at the same time. He stepped in closer to her and leaned in toward her face. "You know. It might not be so bad being under me." His hand reached over toward the strands of her pink hair that rested over her shoulder. "I might not be so bad. You might actually like it."

Quickly, Lightning grabbed his hand tight, stopping him. At that moment, she wanted to just break some part of his arm but stopped herself from doing so. "Right... I rather jump off of Cocoon than to be under you."

Hope pressed her hand against the wall and intertwined her fingers with his. "You really hate me that much?" He leaned in and moved toward her lips. Her eyes began to close as her breath shortened. "Yes." He wrapped his other hand around her waist as he pressed his body against hers. Her nails dug through his gloves as her last line of defense. He could feel a slight pain in his hand but the attempt wasn't enough to make him go away. He tried to kiss her but she turned her head away. "Just stop."

He stepped back from her. She pushed him away and pointed toward the door. "Go! Leave right now!"

He started to get worried. "Lightning-?"

"Out!" She pushed him out and let the door close behind him. Afterwards, she leaned against the wall as her hand cover over her face and the other one over her stomach. "What is wrong with me? I can't believe I let him get to me again."

Once things got quiet, Serah leaned out of the room to see that Lightning was alone and stressed. She walked out of the other room as Mog flew beside her. "Lightning?" Lightning lifted her head. She didn't remember Serah still being there. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Lightning sat down on the edge of her bed as her eyes lowered toward the floor.

Serah sat down on her bed and Mog landed on her lap. "Um? No reason…" She could tell that Lightning was upset but wasn't sure if she should press on it.

Mog flew up in front of Serah. "No reason kupo?!" Mog looked over at Lightning. "Did you see what happened kupo? There was enough tension in the room to cut with a knife kupo. I'm surprised that-."

Serah grabbed Mog and pulled him down. She placed her hand over Mog's mouth as she smiled nervously. "All right Mog! We better get some sleep!"

Lightning looked back at them. Serah did have a point about resting. They should while they were there. As Serah got ready for bed, Lightning thought about what happened. Obviously her talk with Hope got her no answers and no closer to learning the truth. Next time they would meet, she wouldn't get distracted like she did with him before. She lied down on her bed so that she could get some sleep along with the others but her mind kept bothering her about before. Annoyed, she stood up out of her bed. Serah noticed and became surprised. "Lightning?"

"I'll be back." Lightning was about to step out of the room but left Serah with one last warning. "And don't let Snow in here."

After she left, Serah was a little concerned about where she was going. Where else would she go but to talk to Hope?

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_That's it for this chapter! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update!_


	14. Pushing The Limits

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story, sent in reviews, and added this to your favorites and alerts. I enjoyed reading all the reviews I received! I hope that you will like this chapter! _

* * *

_Chapter 14: Pushing the Limit:_

In his office, Hope was reading over some of the paperwork that was on his screen that he had to go through. As much as he tried to concentrate, his mind was heavily distracted because of earlier. Maybe he tested Lightning too much. At first, he was playing around, but then things just started to get heated maybe to the point that they were getting out of control. How was it that twice already he got on Lightning's bad side? He continued typing until someone opened his door. He lifted his head to see Lightning stepped through. She closed the door and locked it behind her. A surprised expression appeared on him. "Lightning?"

There was a serious look on her face. This time there would be no distractions or going off track. This time she meant business. "We need to talk and I'm not leaving here until we do."

Hope stood up from his chair as he made his screen disappeared. That sounded reasonable enough. "All right." He walked around to the front of his desk and met Lightning part way. "So what did you want to talk about exactly?"

She walked up to him. Anger began to flow through her face. Quickly, she raised her hand and slapped him across his face. Hope's eyes widened, stunned as he felt the intense pain going through his face. For a moment, he stood frozen before he turned his eyes back to Lightning. "What was that for?!"

A visible frown displayed on her lips. "Something I should've done a long time ago."

Hope held his hand over his cheek and rubbed against it. "You sure this wasn't because of what happened earlier?"

Lightning glared into his eyes. "No. This is because of what you've done to my mother."

At first, Hope was surprised but then became irritated. Once again, she was accusing him of something he didn't do. "I told you that I didn't do anything! You just hit me for nothing!"

Lightning began to wonder if she actually had. She frowned as she turned her eyes away. "Well even if you didn't do that, I'm sure you did something."

Hope leaned back against his desk. Most of the pain he felt subsided. "Did you come just to attack me?"

"You told me that if I came with you, that you would have proof of who killed my mother. Were you just saying that so I would come with you?" His eyes drifted toward the side as he looked concerned. She stepped forward toward him. "Answer me Hope."

His eyes returned back to her. He figured that she wouldn't like the answer he would give her. "The only proof I have is my word and the investigation I've been conducting for years-."

Lightning held her head down as her fist baled at her side. "So you don't have any physical proof? You just expected me to believe you?"

"You haven't explained anything to me either. What have I ever done to make you distrust me like this?"

Her eyes met with his. "I saw proof that day in Eden. I saw you with blood on your hands and you were in the same hall with the room that my mother was in. I saw you let the Guardian Corp in and the soldiers that attacked said they came in the name of the Academy."

His expression turned to anger. "Then someone's trying to set me up!"

"You haven't answered any of my questions. What was your part in all of this? To let me believe in this lie we were told as kids. That everything would be all right if we just came together? To believe in this silly fairytale?"

He crossed his arms as he was a little confused. "What are you really trying to say to me?"

As much as Lightning didn't want to spell it out, she wanted her question to be answered. "Was it all a lie when you said how you felt about…?" She turned her head as she became quiet. She didn't want to say what was on her mind out loud. She turned away from him as she crossed her arms. "Never mind."

Then, she felt a hand grab her arm and turn her back to him. Even then, she refused to look at him. Hope gave her a serious look. "Listen. I can't speak for the Academy but I can speak for myself. Just look at me." Listening, Lightning lifted her eyes to his. He leaned back against his desk. "I don't know what happened that day on Eden, but I'm telling you the truth when I said I had nothing to do with what happened. The only thing I wanted to do that day was help you move that's it. Then after you disappeared, I didn't want to believe that you died that day. Since then, I spent every day looking for you all these years just for some sign that you made it. That was all I could really think about. Hearing this rumor was the only clue I had in finding you again and I did."

"You mean to tell me that you've been looking for me all these years and you never gave up?" She found it hard to believe that he never stopped searching, but if it was true, deep inside she was touched that he did so.

Hope nodded. "Yes. I know that right now you must hate me for what you think I've done, but I wanted to let you know that I could never do anything like that to you even if the Academy asked me to, and I never lied about how I felt. Not ever. Just like I wouldn't now." He stood up straight in front of her. "Even after all these years, that hasn't changed."

Lightning looked surprised but then turned her head away. "Just stop."

Lightly, his fingers touched her chin and turned her head back toward him. There was a sincere gaze to his eyes. "This isn't me saying this as a part of some elaborate plan. I missed the way that things used to be and I missed you since then."

Lightning shook her head. No longer could she stand to listen to this. It wasn't because she thought it was lie but because she thought she might let her feelings get in the way again. She tried to walk away, but he wouldn't let her. His arms wrapped around her waist. She held her head down letting her bangs cover her eyes. Her hands struggled in vain to try and get herself free. "I should go."

His head leaned on the back of hers as the strands of his silver hair covered his face. Tightly, he embraced her so that she couldn't get free. "Don't." Hope took a second to think about what was the best way to say how he felt still, but truly there was only one way he could say it. "The truth is I still love you."

Lightning took a deep breath in once she heard his words. Why did he have to say that now of all times? It was just something to make things harder. He released her and leaned back against his desk. His eyes moved toward the ground. "I don't know if that makes a difference but I just wanted you to know."

For a few moments, her body remained frozen taking in his words. Was she just supposed to leave right after that? Right after what he just said? Tightly, her fists baled at her sides. She felt upset. Once again, he stirred up feelings inside of her she tried hard to repress. "Why…?" Hope lifted his eyes, wondered what she meant by that. Her eyes stayed hidden away from his. "I knew it was a mistake coming here. It would just make things worse."

"Why? Because I said what I felt and you still feel-?"

Quickly, she turned around to him, angry. "No I don't! You couldn't just keep it to yourself!"

"Why should I? This obviously makes you very upset. You just don't want to hear it. Maybe you're just looking for someone to blame so badly that you won't listen to the one person who's telling you exactly what you want to hear: the truth. Does your revenge need to be dealt with now? Is that how badly you want it?!"

Lightning clenched her teeth together as she was starting to let her angry get the best of her. "Just stop it! I'm done listening to you."

Hope grabbed her wrist before she could walk away. "Well I'm not done telling you what you need to hear! You can stand here and be blind if you want to someone who cares about you!"

Lightning struggled but couldn't get her hand free. He had a tight grip on it. Frustrated, she swung her free hand toward his face again, but to her surprise, he caught her wrist before she got close. In his eyes, she could see his intense glare. It looked dangerous enough that he might actually attack her back. He pulled her toward him to where they were inches apart from each other. "You can try and strike me down as much as you want but think about this? What good are you to me as far as taking over Cocoon now?"

Instantly, her expression changed to surprise as she thought about his question. Before she could come up with an answer, he continued on as he looked serious. "If I really wanted to take over, then why didn't I just take you to Eden when I had the chance and say that I have the Fal'Cie princess right here? As far as Cocoon is concern, they all think that you died falling from Eden that day and you haven't claim right to the Primarch seat for years. I would have to convince a lot of people just to make them believe that you have that right and even so, you might not be able to take over with the current Primarch in place. The fact that you've been on Pulse and associated with me with the Purge going on, they might not want you as their Primarch so answer this to me? What do I have to gain out of this for helping you and for bringing you here if that was really my true reason?"

She remained stunned. She had no answer to any of his questions. Hope placed his hand against her cheek. "Now do you see? Here I can protect you from the Fal'Cie."

She removed his hand from her. "I don't need your protection from them."

His lips curved up into a gentle smile. "I know but I feel better now knowing that you're here." Afterwards, Hope leaned in toward her face. Lightning closed her eyes. Already she could feel herself giving in but she restrained herself from doing so. She stepped back. "Hope…"

He stood up straight from his desk and went over to her. "Let me ask you one more thing."

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"You sure what you feel for me is truly hatred? You sure it's not the same thing I feel for you." He leaned forward toward her lips. She wasn't ready to give in yet. "Don't. If you try it, I'll bite back."

Hope let a smile escape. "I'll take my chances." Soon, he connected his lips to hers. His eyes closed tight once he felt her bite his lip but the pain didn't last long. She tried hard to push him away but he refused to stop. Several times her fists pounded against his chest. It wasn't long before she felt herself kissing him back. Breath left from her body as she let a moan escape from her lips. After going over his argument in her head, there wasn't anything about it that didn't make sense. Giving into her feelings, she kissed him back just as passionately as he did her. For a few moments, she let her mind fade into the background. Her arms rose up and wrapped around his neck. Hope pulled her in closer toward his body as he held her by her waist. For years, he had waited to do this. To be with her like this again. To have his lips on her sweet, soft, pink lips.

A few minutes in, the same thought came back to Lightning's mind. Still, he didn't answer any of the questions that she asked earlier about what happened at Eden, about the blood on his hands, and how his soldiers were already there that day. She stepped back, breaking her kiss from him. She was afraid that this would happen again. Letting her feelings get in the way of her goal. She walked away and headed toward the door. Maybe now still wasn't the time. Once she opened the door a little, it suddenly closed. Beside her, there was a hand pushing it closed. "Are you really just going to leave?" he asked as he was trying to catch his breath.

Lightning held her head down. She felt as if her emotions were making her weak again. She couldn't let that happen. "Unless you're going to answer me, then let me go."

Hope turned her around to him. The desire he felt for her was taking over him. "You can trust me. I didn't do it." he whispered. Again, his lips met with hers as both of their eyes closed. Her body became pressed between the door and his body. In her mind, she told herself that this had to stop. If words weren't going to be enough, then there was only one other thing she could try. Maybe this was the opportunity she needed to have to end this once and for all. Her hand slipped down from his chest and reached behind her. She managed to make it down to her carrier and pulled out her gunblade. She flipped it to its sword. Her mind urged her to raise it against him but her hand refused to move. It was almost ready to slip out her hand. The tip of the sword hit against the wall. The sound it made caused Hope to look over. He looked at the sword then back at Lightning. Was she actually planning to kill him?

Once her mind became clear, she was about to raise her sword but her hand had quickly met the wall by Hope's hand. He managed to loosen the sword from her hand by bashing her hand against the wall and forcing it out. He grabbed her hands before she could try anything else and held them up against the wall near her head. "Is that what you really want to do? Kill me right here and now?"

Lightning didn't answer but only saw the anger and hurt that was in his eyes. Her eyes traveled toward the side as she was starting to regret what she was about to do. Her mind felt so torn on what she should do. Hope let go of her and headed toward his desk. Lightning lifted her eyes and watched him go. She looked at the gunblade on the ground but then decided to leave it there and follow behind him. Hope turned and sat on top of his desk. "Are you really that determined to shed blood but to also be so lost?"

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a letter opener on his desk. Upset by his comment, she grabbed it and held it to his neck. Hope didn't seem afraid but only stared at her with a hint of grief. "If you feel the need to shed innocent blood, then go ahead. I can't imagine what you're going through but… I can tell that you're looking for someone to blame. If this helps put your mind at ease-." He moved her hand and pointed the knife down to his heart. "Then let me release you from it. I just don't want to see you upset anymore. Maybe it will bring back the girl I used to remember." It was a huge risk saying what he did to her but he was done with this back and forth struggle and he hoped that soon she would be too.

Lightning couldn't understand it. Why would he say that if he claimed he had nothing to do with what she was accusing him of? The words he said had touched her. She wanted to find some way to truly be released from her past and find a future where she could be happy and just live peacefully. Still, for years she had planned this moment, to kill him and be done with it. Was she just supposed to up and throw that all away? It took some time but she made her decision. Slowly, she placed the opener down at her side. If he was right, then she couldn't carry the burden of having the blood of an innocent man on her hands especially one that she still cared deeply for. "You idiot. How can you stand there being self-sacrificing like that? I could have easily killed you and you wouldn't have care would you?"

Hope gave a nervous smile. "I would have cared a little."

Tightly she clutched the knife in her hand. She would carry through on her promise that she would find out who killed her parents. For now, Hope didn't seem as if he really did it. If he had, she would need more proof to be sure. "So no more attacking me?" he asked to be sure.

Her eyes traveled over to him. "For now."

"Good." Hope felt relieved to hear that. Maybe that meant they were finally getting along again.

Lightning shook her head as she closed her eyes. "Don't ever do that again. That's how you get killed."

He gave a slight grin. "I'll remember that next time."

Once things turned quiet, Lightning realized how close they were standing to each other. The same feelings that stirred in her earlier were trying to break through again. Little did she know, the same feelings were stirring inside of him too. Since she didn't move away from him, he placed his hands at her waist. His thumbs stroked against the skin of her stomach. He leaned down inches away from her face. "Hope… Maybe we shouldn't..." she began to whisper as her eyelids lowered. Soon, his lips met with hers. Her eyes closed completely as she kissed him back.

As their kiss began to intense, he turned both of them around to where she was leaning close against his desk. He grabbed her hand with the letter opener in it and knocked it against his desk. With her hand empty, he intertwined his fingers with hers. Lightning felt a pain in her hand but it wasn't enough to break away from him. She liked the little dominance that he showed over her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she began to grab the strands of his silver hair. He didn't mind the little tugs she gave at his hair. Her hands traveled down from his neck to his chest. Through his Academy jacket, his body felt hard and firm. She was curious to see if it had changed over the years. The built up tension her body felt along with her curiosity had pushed her even further. Her fingers reached up and began struggling to loosen his tie.

Hope lifted his hand to feel what her fingers were doing. It was just as he suspected. For a second, he broke away from their kiss. He lifted her body up and set her on top of his desk. For a brief moment, he glanced into her eyes to see if she would stop him before things got too far. She only stared back without saying a word and moved back in when he did. Between kisses, he released the utility belt from around his waist as she removed part of it from his shoulder and let it drop down to the floor. He removed the gloves from his hands and caressed the soft skin of her arms. With his hand, he grabbed onto her hand and pressed it against his chest.

Her fingers moved in and slipped underneath his jacket. Roughly, she began ripping his coat open and pulled it down from his broad shoulders as he helped her slip it off onto the ground. Her hands traveled upward and tried unravel his tie from his neck again but had no such luck. Frustrated, she separated from him to see what was causing it not to come loose.

The wait became too long. Hope leaned in meeting his lips back with hers and pulled her hands away. Within seconds, he reached over and quickly loosened it for her. He torn the silky fabric away from his neck and tossed it aside.

The two broke apart as they were breathing hard. She leaned her forehead against his as they could hear their intake of air. As she removed her gloves and began unbuttoning his shirt, he began loosening the buckle that was on her jacket. Neither exchanged words but anxiously kept going so that this feeling wouldn't fade away. That rush of being with each other and reaching that point of passion and pleasure. Once he got her jacket opened, he pulled it off and tossed it on the floor. She loosened the last button of his white shirt and split it open with her hands, spreading it apart.

Slowly, her hands caressed over his exterior as her eyes gazed upon his body. Her previous suspicions became confirmed. Over the years, he had gained a lot tighter, more muscular structure. Tempted, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his chest. The smooth texture of his skin and his scent was intoxicating. He could feel her moist tongue trailing across his skin. Air escaped from his lungs as his fingers stroked through the strands of her pink hair. With a slight pull from his hand, he lifted her head. The boots that she had wrapped around his waist were pressing into his back. He loosened her legs from around him. As he kissed her again, he began working on removing one boot. Through their kiss, a smirk came across Lightning's lips. She separated from him. "Having a little trouble there?"

Hope frowned at that fact that she was picking on him now of all times. He struggled but managed to get one off and moved onto the other. She crossed her arms against her chest as she continued smirking. "I can get that one off." She reached down but he knocked her hands away. Upset, he pulled the other one off with ease and stood up straight in front of her. "Ha ha and this coming from the one who couldn't get a simple tie off."

Instantly, their expressions switched as Lightning frowned and Hope smirked. "It's not funny."

"You sure?" He leaned forward and kissed her again. He led her down toward his desk with her back pressed against the metal surface. Her eyes lifted up toward his as he moved in closer. Their lips moved against each others as their eyes came to a close. The sweater that was wrapped around her chest began to come undone by the pull of the zipper with his fingers. Soon, it became completely open down the middle. Through the opening, he saw the necklace that hung around her neck and slight reveal of the black lace that covered over her bosom. As he stared at the necklace, he couldn't help but think back to the past and the day he gave her that ring. He wondered if that commitment still meant anything to her. The fact that she was still wearing it gave him hope that things could be as they once were.

"Hope?" He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. Lightning gave him a curious look. "You okay?"

He gave off a smile. "Yeah." He leaned forward and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Everything's fine." Being together with her again made him happier than she knew. As he held her hands down against the desk, he moved in toward her neck and began to kiss it. Her head turned giving him better access as she closed her eyes. Her breath became erratic as he sucked and nibble on her skin gently. It sent shockwaves throughout her body and caused sound to escape from her lips. His hands slid against her legs and waist and massaged her chest. His lips moved from her neck down to her stomach leaving a trail of butterfly kisses on her skin. At her waist, his fingers began working on loosening her skirt.

A break away from his lips and hands gave Lightning a chance to think what this would mean between them. Was it all right for things to go this far still unresolved between them? They just found each other again and their relationship was not clear as to where they stood. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go back to the way things were just yet. Everything inside of her wanted to go through with it but she couldn't help but wonder. "You okay?"

She looked over to see Hope hovering above her. Was this something she really wanted to go through and hoped that it didn't get complicated later? "Yeah." She sat up from his desk.

His eyes traveled toward his desk as he tried to think if something was wrong. "Is this too hard for you?" Lightning followed his eyes to see what he was talking about but didn't give him an answer. Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "I have a better idea." He led her over to a couch that he had in his office. She lied down on her back as he came over. "Is this okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She began to get back into the moment they were having as he kissed her softly. Her hands rubbed against his chest and went at his waist. There, she could feel his hands reach over along with hers as he began to loosen the button on his pants. She turned them over to where she was on top of him. She pressed her hands against his chest as she sat at his waist. For a moment, she stopped as she looked down at him. It was now getting to the point of no return.

Hope smiled as he looked up at her messy pink hair. Her bangs now covered over one of her eyes. Gently, he placed his hand against her arm. "I'm glad that I found you again. It's been a really long time Claire."

Lightning placed her hand on top of his. It felt a little weird hearing him say that name again. "Hope? Where do you see this going? The way things used to be?"

"Yeah. You and I could pick up where we left off."

"You mean as if we were kids again?"

"Yeah."

"I got news for you. It's a little late for that." Hearing that made Hope surprised. Did she mean that it was too late as far as them? "Things have changed. It's not as simple as writing on a contract like it used to be." Her eyes drifted toward the side. Maybe she let things go too far. "I should go." Afterwards, she stood up and walked toward his desk where her clothes were tossed on the floor next to his. Along the way, she managed to zip up her sweater half way before she heard his voice. "Wait!"

As soon as she turned around, she felt a pair of lips meet hers. His hands were wrapped around her arms. For some time she gave in until she managed to break free and quickly grabbed her jacket, boots, and gloves. "Wait!" Hope tried to plead with her but Lightning pushed him away. "Just let me go. It's over now." It was the only thing she could think of to stop his pursuit of her. Guilt began to set in once she saw the look of hurt on his face. She turned her back to him and headed toward the door. She glanced outside into the hall to see if there was anyone around but there wasn't. The walk wasn't too far from her room. She stepped out without looking back.

As she approached her room, she hoped that she could get in without being seen. By now, Serah and Mog had to be asleep. Once she stepped into her room, her expression turned more into concern than surprise. Serah was sitting with Snow on the edge of Serah's bed. They were talking but stopped as soon as they saw her walk into the room. Instantly, their expressions turned to surprise and curiousness. They couldn't help but noticed her messy hair and wonder why she was carrying her clothes. "Wow sis! It looked like you got hit by a whirlwind. What happened?"

Lightning frowned and glared at Snow. "What are you doing here? Serah. I thought I told you not to let him in here."

"Aw come on! It was only for a few minutes! Besides, you didn't answer my question."

"None of your business that's what. There's your answer. Now get out."

Snow looked at Serah who had been quiet ever since Lightning entered the room. She had her own suspicions but kept herself from asking. "You better go. Good night."

As much as Snow didn't want to leave, he didn't want Lightning getting anymore mad at him. "Good night Serah." The two leaned in and gave each other a good night kiss. Lightning rolled her eyes and looked away. Snow got up and headed toward the door. "Good night sis."

Lightning turned to him. "I told you to stop calling me that." Afterwards, the door closed. She closed her eyes. "That idiot never listens. Then again he does have rocks for brains so I shouldn't be surprised."

Serah wasn't happy by the way she just insulted Snow. "Lightning be nice. Why can't you just like him? He's a good guy."

Lightning sighed. "Fine. He's not annoying all the time but the man seriously thinks more with his fists than his actual brain." She dropped what was in her hand onto her bed and began checking through it to make sure that she got everything from when she left Hope's office. Nearby, Serah was watching. She was tempted to ask what happened but didn't know if Lightning would be upset with her for doing so. "That seems like everything." Lightning said to herself. She didn't bring a lot with her just what she wore.

Serah looked down and then noticed that her carrier she usually had her gunblade in was missing one thing. "Lightning?"

Lightning looked over. "Yeah?"

"Did you lose you gunblade?"

Quickly, Lightning turned her head and saw that her carrier was empty. She sighed and looked back toward the door. "Oh no. I must've left it in Hope's-." Immediately, she stopped herself from finishing that sentence once she noticed Serah's expression change into that of suspicion. She turned quiet as her eyes drifted away. Figuring that she could get it another time, she lied down on her bed and turned away from Serah. "Aren't you going to go get it?"

Lightning closed her eyes. It was too soon to face Hope again especially after what happened. "I'll get it later."

Serah arched her eyebrow. "It's strange. You usually don't leave it." She thought that maybe there was a way to get her sister to admit what was going on.

Lightning shrugged as if it was no big deal. "So what? I know where to find it so I'll get it later."

"Why don't you get it now?"

"What's the big deal?" Lightning tried to get her off of her case.

Serah sighed tired of taking the long way to ask what happened. "You've been with Hope since you left here haven't you?"

"Yeah so?"

"I'm assuming that's where you left it. So…? Did things work out between you two tonight? You didn't have a fight or anything did you?"

Memories of what happened through their time together ran through her mind. Apart of her was curious as to how far things could have gone. "Don't worry. Not a lot…happened." Not if you didn't count her attacks against him and what almost happened right after.

"So you've forgiven him?"

"Not exactly." Lightning admitted that she wasn't as mad at him as she was before. Some of her suspicion had lifted off of him but she still didn't completely trust him since he still hadn't answer her questions.

"Then what happened?"

"Nothing Serah. Go to bed." Lightning pulled the covers over her body as she got ready to sleep.

Serah sighed and lied down as well next to Mog. It didn't seem as if Lightning would tell her what happened. She cut off the lights and placed her hands against her stomach. The one question on her mind still kept pushing her to ask it out loud even if Lightning would avoid it. "Lightning?"

"Yeah?"

"If you two didn't fight then what happened?" Lightning opened her eyes as her arms were wrapped around her pillow. She remained silence. "Did something else… happen tonight?" Serah asked nervously. She glanced over to see if Lightning had reacted but she remained still.

"No. Good night Serah."

Serah took that as a clue that maybe something almost did happen but that she was telling the truth as far as nothing did. "Good night."

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_That's it for this chapter! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update! _


	15. Seeing The World In Another Light

_**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! First, let me thank everyone who has kept up with the story, sent in reviews, and added this to your favorites and alerts. I was surprised to see all the responses I got with the last chapter so thank you! I really like reading your reviews and questions that you have for the story on what's going to happen next. It's really inspirational for me to continue with the story. _

_Second, I apologize for the late update. I just couldn't update this chapter right away so thank you for waiting. Again, I apologize. _

_Third, for a couple of the reviews, I wanted to explain a few things about the story. Explaining all of the points mention in this note would probably be longer than the chapter itself so it all won't be explained now. As for Hope's character in the last chapter, while yes he seemed confident, the point was to carry across his frustrations in trying to get through to Light that he didn't do anything and that she still cared so long story short, the way his character acted was intentional and it was more of my way of bringing out what I like to write. _

_Another thing, any character that appears in this story will not just make cameo appearances. While yes this story is more Hope/Light centric, any character I put in as secondary characters are there for important reasons and bringing their own stories into this one will add to the action.  
_

_I hope that everyone will enjoy this chapter of the story! _

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_Chapter 15: Seeing The World In Another Light:_

Later that night, Lightning woke up out of her sleep. Not even an hour had passed by and she could only sleep for a little. It was then she figured that what she had to do couldn't wait until morning. How she left things with Hope bothered her, but she didn't think it was enough to affect her sleep. Finally, she stood up out of bed and headed out of the door. Serah awoke from her sleep to see her leave the room. It made her wonder where she was going.

In the hall, Lightning stepped in front of Hope's office. It might have been a little late to see if he was still there, but he did tell them that it was the place where she could usually find him. A few times, she knocked her fist on his door. Through the door, she could hear his voice. "Come in."

Lightning stepped in and closed the door behind her. Hope lifted his head from what he was working on. In his hand, he was holding a piece of paper that he was reading on and off. It didn't seem as if he changed his clothes, but he just stayed as she left him last. His shirt still hung open, showing his chest underneath. His expression changed to surprise to see that she was there. She stepped in front of his desk with concerned as to what his reaction might be for what she had to say. He was almost afraid to ask why she came to visit him again. "Lightning? What brings you back here?"

She pressed her hands down against his desk. "I wanted to say that I was… sorry."

Hope placed his paper down as he turned toward her in his chair. "You have no reason to be. A lot was going on between us. Maybe things were moving too fast."

"Twice we've tried to talk but it just ends up getting… tense between us. I was wondering if I could just talk to you without the me ending up on your desk part."

Hope grinned at her comment as he closed his eyes. He stood up and walked around to her. "Sure. I think we can do that." Once he stepped at a close distance, she pressed her hand against his chest to keep him away. He was surprised that she had done so. "What?"

"It might be better if I stay on one side and you stay on the other." She knew that just because their feelings from earlier had died down doesn't mean they couldn't easily come back up again. Any distance within a hand's reach between them could pull her right back in.

Hope understood, remembering her request from earlier and stood at one end of his desk while she stood at the other. "Okay." Both of them leaned back against the desk with their arms crossed.

Lightning's eyes traveled over at him as she became serious. "First, I want you to answer me once and for all. None of that "trust me" stuff. Why was blood on your hands when I saw you?"

Hope sighed as his gazed turned toward the ground. He didn't like thinking back to what happened in the past, but he didn't want to risk Lightning not trusting him again. He breathed out and returned his eyes back to her. "When I left your room, I was just going to see if the ship was ready to go. I was really excited that we were leaving soon and I wanted everything to be ready. When I came back in the house, I was about to go back to your room, but then there was this soldier from PSICOM in the hallway. He walked passed me. I didn't want to pay attention to him, but he kept staring toward me." Just thinking back, he could still feel the same uncomfortable feeling he felt back then. His hands began to tense.

"Next thing I know, I felt a hit to the back of the head and I fell on the floor. When I opened my eyes and looked over, the soldier pulled out a knife on me and held it to my neck. I couldn't get up. I couldn't call for help because no one else was around. "Academy scum" That's what he called me. He said that Cocoon would take over Pulse and destroy all of the Pulse rats. He said that he hoped that the Academy would get the worse of it all. I was scared. With that knife, he left a small cut on the side of my neck that really hurt. It was his way of dragging out that he might kill me. Still, I fought back. My arm went against his neck to try and push him off as I tried to prevent him from cutting me again with my other hand. I managed to knock him off with my knees."

As Hope thought back, he held out his hand in front of him as if he could still visualize the red colored liquid on his skin. "When I touched my neck, I saw my blood right on my hands."

As Lightning listened to the story, she couldn't help being concerned about what happened to him. Hope continued. "I grabbed his gun off his side and pointed it toward him. I thought I could scare him off just by threatening to pull the trigger, but he still approached me anyway. I didn't shoot. I just grabbed my boomerang and threw it toward him to hopefully knock him down, but he still kept coming. The boomerang managed to knock the knife out of his hand. I was relieved for that, but it wasn't enough. He tried to grab me, but I slipped from under his reach. I grabbed the knife. He turned around and came at me. All I could think was if he got any closer that he would kill me so I… ran the knife through his chest. After that, the guy fell on the ground. I tried to see if he was still alive, but he didn't move. It was a lot to handle. The fact that I killed someone. Next thing I did was run to the nearest window and threw the knife as far as I could. It seemed like it fell out of the sky off of Eden. As for the soldier, I hid his body off in another room. Since no one came after me, I just assumed that they thought he died during the attack."

Throughout his story, Lightning stood stunned. She had no idea. She walked over to him, still worried. "Hope-?"

He pulled back a part of his collar as he tilted his neck to the side. "Here."

She observed closely at the side of his neck. There, she could see the scar that man left on his neck. At that moment, she couldn't believe it. Her eyes lifted to him with concern. "Why didn't you tell me?"

His eyes drifted over toward her. "I didn't want you to worry or think of me any differently like some kind of killer."

Lightning shook her head. Even if she wasn't in the military where she had to eliminate a threat, she could understand why he did what he did. He couldn't have lied down and died. She would have wanted him to live. "You did what you had to do. It was either your life or his." She crossed her arms as she held her head down. After all this time, she had blamed him for her mother's death when he was almost killed himself. "I had no idea."

Hope placed his hand against his neck over the scar. "Forgive me. When I saw that your mother had been killed, I know that I didn't seem as shocked as you two must've been, but I still couldn't help but think about what happened with that man. I tried to find you in your room after it happened, but I found you at your mother's instead."

Lightning lifted her head with one more question on mind. "What about the Guardian Corp? Why were they already there?"

He leaned up from his desk. "Like you, I was surprised that they already got to Eden quickly as well. They told me that they got word that you and Serah were in danger and that someone in the Fal'Cie might pull something. Because of the agreement that we already had with your father, we couldn't let that be broken. We had to protect you at all cost even if that resulted in an attack on Eden. So that day, PSICOM ended up fighting with the Guardian Corp." He looked over at Lightning and smiled a little. "When I heard that, I wanted to protect you and Serah. Since then, I've been conducting my own investigate of that day."

He began pacing around his office as he started thinking. "So far what little clues we have led me to believe that it was all a setup by the Fal'Cie. My father never authorized any of the soldiers to take you, but to only go and defend you. We didn't think there was a conspiracy afoot between any members of the Academy or the Guardian Corp. The only people who gained an advantage because of that day were the Fal'Cie. That's why we believe that this might have been the perfect setup by them. They got the people of Cocoon to believe that we were once again an enemy and because of that, the peace agreement set up by your father was broken. We believe that the Fal'Cie destroyed that contract. Now we're possibly on the brink of another war. Again, Pulse might have to face another hundreds of years of chaos. It's still a mystery to me as to how the current Primarch came into power."

Lightning looked a little confused. "Why would the Fal'Cie care to come after me and Serah now?"

"Easy because you or Serah are what stands in the way of bringing what Cocoon and Pulse used to be in: in peace. If anything, I predict that the Fal'Cie doesn't want that. I highly doubt that they want to welcome you back. The Primarch could lose his seat to you because you are related by blood."

"But why come after us now?"

"Probably because Serah got caught in the Purge. Someone could have recognized her and that's why they kept her alive rather than anybody else." Lightning's eyes traveled the ground. Maybe she had misjudged Hope on everything that had happened in the past. Hope gave a look of regret. He wished that he could answer all of her questions that had been bothering her, but he could only answer so much. "I'm sorry Lightning. That's all I have. The trail has gone cold and it probably will as time goes by."

She took a second to think what they could do. If it was true what Hope stated, then all of them could easily get caught up in this war. It was then she remembered something. "What about the contract between our two families? Isn't there some way we can bring that back up even if the Fal'Cie destroyed it? That could still work."

"Since our family still has a copy of the contract it could, but…" Hope's eyes traveled toward the ground. There was a reason he didn't want to use that suggestion.

Lightning looked at him curiously. She stepped forward toward him. "What?"

He kept his eyes toward the ground. As much as it pained him not to go through with it, he couldn't do that to Lightning. "Maybe… we shouldn't do it anymore. We can find another way to resolve it."

Lightning started to get impatient. There was no time to come with a new strategy especially if the one they had could work. More danger could come to Serah if he was right about the Fal'Cie chasing after them. "You're talking about another war starting and you don't want to use that?" She could tell that there was something on his mind, but he just didn't want to say it out loud. "Why?"

"It's-. It's nothing." For now, he hoped that she would take his idea of making a new plan.

Still, she wouldn't back down. "Tell me Hope."

He glanced at her before he decided to find out an answer of his own from her. Hearing her response would make him sure that he was making the right decision. "Let me ask you something. What do you want to do with your life?"

Confusion became written upon her face. "What does that have to do with-?"

Hope's expression turned more serious. "Just answer me."

Lightning wasn't sure what that had to do with anything but she indulged in his question. There were possibilities that she thought about before of what she wanted to do with her life, but wasn't completely sure of everything. All she was sure of was a few things. "I want to live in a place where Serah is safe. Where I don't have to worry about her or anything else and the future is…it's peaceful."

Hope closed his eyes. There was a look of disappointment on his face. "Just as I thought." In a way, it was the answer that he predicted she would have. Listening through her response, he noticed that she didn't mention anything about him. Maybe things were over between them. He was about to walk away, but Lightning grabbed his arm. "That doesn't answer my question."

Slightly he shook his head without looking back at her. "I can't put you through that. When you were describing the future, you didn't mention anything that was within the contract. You don't want to be Primarch."

A look of surprise came on her face. She figured out now where he was getting at with his previous question. "I-."

There was somewhat of a sad look to his expression as he stared at her. "I can tell by the look on your face. Be honest with me. You don't do you?"

Lightning's eyes lowered toward the floor. She wasn't about to lie about how she felt about it. "No. Not anymore. For years, I thought to let Cocoon and Pulse solve its own problems. Both worlds could crash for all I care as long as me and Serah were safe, but then I would realize that wasn't the case. I just hoped that neither one of you would bring the chaos to our front door. Yet Serah was still taken."

Afterwards, Hope looked determined. "That's why we'll find another way to solve the conflict. Unfortunately, the Fal'Cie refuses to hear us out."

Lightning was surprised that he was willing to do so even with the hardships that it could cause. If the Fal'Cie wasn't listening then to them, then how was this going to get solve without her help? Why was he casting off the idea of using the contract against them? "Hope-."

"Years ago when we were kids, you told me that our parents were going to give us the chance to get out of the contract. I'm giving you that chance now." he reminded her.

The memory of that day came to her mind. After she told him that, something else happened that meant something important to them. "The day I told you that was when we first got..."

His eyes stayed toward the ground. She didn't need to finish her sentence. It was something he would never forget. There, they confessed their feelings for each other after both agreeing they didn't want their parents to stop the marriage and after that was their first kiss. After thinking further about it, Lightning realized what that meant not just with Cocoon and Pulse, but between them as well. She had to be sure this was what he was suggesting. It was a big risk. "Wait. You mean you're letting me out of the contract completely?"

Hope nodded. "Yes."

Lightning stood astonished that he was doing this. "Then that means-."

"Yes. The arrangement between us is over." he assured her.

For a few moments, she remained motionless. She didn't understand it. Not long ago, he just said how he felt about her, but now he was just letting her go. "Hope…" She stepped over toward him. It was still hard to believe. "You really want to break this contract even if it meant it was the only way we could stop all this?"

He walked away as he held his head down. "I'll find another way."

She leaned against his desk. Her eyes drifted to the side. A little part of her was disappointed about their agreement being dissolved. Again, she had to wonder why he was doing this now. "That means that you and I-. We don't have to-."

Hope kept his back turned. "It's fine Lightning. Honestly it might be for the best."

Instantly, she was surprised as to why he said so. Was he against it now because of something she did? "Why?"

He sighed and looked back at her. "Don't get me wrong. When we were younger, I know we were set for it and we had no disagreements about it but I…" He paused for a minute to think of the best way to say what was on his mind. "Things are different."

Lightning could see he was holding back. She placed her hands against his arms. "It's okay. Whatever you want to say, just say it."

Deeply, he exhaled before he lifted his eyes to her. "I've made it no secret about how I feel about you. Even if words weren't written down on a piece of paper, I would still want to marry you but I can't. Not like this." He stood beside her as he crossed his arms. "I can't if you still don't trust me completely and I know that I probably have a long way to go to gain it back. Just look at what happened tonight."

After his explanations on what happened in the past, she wouldn't say that she complete mistrust him now. If anything, she felt as if she had made the mistake. "Hope-."

"That's why I'll make you a promise." Lightning was surprised to hear him say that out of nowhere. "A while back, I promised that we would find out who killed your father. This time, I promise that I'll find out what happened on Eden as well as with your mother and who was behind that attack. Until then, I'll wait as long as I have to for you. That is until I prove to you that I wouldn't do anything like that to you."

Inside, she was touched that he was doing this for her even without her asking for his help or any hint that she wanted him to. It was a big promise that he was making. Afterwards, she relaxed and crossed her arms. "So? You're saying that nothing will happen between us until you figure out who did all of this?"

He nodded. "I want you to completely trust me again just as you once did and to be at ease again."

She became curious as to how far he would carry through on this promise. "And what if it takes you years to find out anything?"

Hope didn't want to think about it because it seemed like a really long time, but still he would stick to his promise. "Then I'll just have to wait that long."

"And what if you never find anything for the rest of your life?"

He let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. "Then I guess I'll just have to think about the good times and wonder what could have been."

Lightning became even more interested in his answers as other questions popped into her mind of what could happen. "And what if I find someone else to move on with?"

"Then…" It was one possibility that he didn't want to think about, but still it was a possibility. "I'll just have to accept it, but I wouldn't give up on my promise to you."

"And what if-."

Hope closed his eyes, wishing she would stop with the "what ifs" before she made him think of any worse situations to go through. "Do we really have to keep going through with this?"

A small smile came to Lightning's lips. Maybe she had put him through enough scenarios. "I just wanted to ask one more."

"What's that?" he asked curiously as a part of him hoped it wasn't anything bad.

"What if I want things to go further before you complete your promise?"

Hope was surprised that she said that. It was one "what if" he wasn't expecting. Still, he would give her an answer. "Only if you completely trust me. I'll still do my best to find out what happened to your parents." The smile never left from her face. It made Hope smile as well. It was good to see her happy again even if it was only for a second. "Well better get started. Can't wait the rest of my life."

Her expression changed to surprise that he was getting started now. "But it's late."

He traveled over and sat behind his desk. "Over time, you get used to not sleeping some nights. Not when you have a lot of work to do."

Lightning wanted to argue against it, but it was ultimately his choice. Her eyes gazed down at the necklace that hung around her neck. If they weren't together, then it only felt right to part with it. "Here. You should probably take this back." Her eyes lowered to a close as she was about to remove it from around her neck, but suddenly she felt something hold her hands down. When she looked over, she saw Hope with his hands on top of hers. "Keep it. It's yours. Besides, there's some truth in what's in the ring." Once he said that, Lightning remembered the inscription that was on the interior of it.

Hope shrugged his shoulders. "And I can't find a lot of girls name Claire to hand that to." His joke instantly earned him a punch to the arm. He rubbed over the spot she hit as he smiled nervously. "Wow! You have gotten more violent over the years. I was just kidding."

"You can just call me Light from now on all right?"

He nodded. "Can I ask where you got the name Lightning from?"

She gave a faint smile. "I'll tell you later." Afterwards, she stepped over in front of him. The tip of her fingers ran across the scar on his neck. Her look of concern returned. "I still can't believe that someone attacked you." She placed her head down and gently pressed her head against his chest. "I wished you would have told me sooner. I'm sorry." The regret began to set in on what she accused him of. Most of the answers she wanted to know he told her. She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to make the promise that he did, but now because of that and that he let her out of the contract, it gave her time to think about what she should do. Soon, she parted from him and looked up at him. "I'm sorry about what I did earlier as well."

He smiled at her for comfort and assurance that he was fine. "It's okay."

She leaned in and gently kissed over the scar that was on his neck. As he felt her kiss, he was surprised that she done so. When she stood back from him, she took one last chance to whisper something into his ear. "About the promise that you made me…" A gentle smile came upon her face as she opened her eyes to him. "Thank you." she spoke softly. She placed her hand against the side of his neck as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

To Hope, he understood what their kiss meant at that moment. He kissed her back as if it would have been the last kiss he would ever give her. No matter what it took, he would make good on his promise to her. For now it would mean their separation, but hopefully they would be brought back together again and hopefully at the end of his search, she would still be there waiting for him.

Minutes later, they parted in need of air. Lightning placed her hands against his chest. She would miss seeing him like this and the touch of his lips, but for now she would figure out what she should do. Not just about where they would go from there, but if she and Serah were really in danger, then she would find a way to stop it. She lifted her head up where her eyes had met his. Splitting up for both of them might be harder than they thought.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on his office door. Both of them looked surprised, wondering who was coming by this late at night. "Come-." Hope was about to tell them to come in, but Lightning covered his mouth with her hand. "You don't want whoever it is out there to come in seeing you like this."

Hope realized that she had a point. With her help, he finished buttoning up his shirt. Afterwards, he walked over to the door and opened it. Once he saw who it was, he looked surprised and glad he did adjust his shirt. "What brings you by?"

Lightning looked over curious, but couldn't see who it was at first. The door opened more and Hope's parents stepped through. His mother's expression changed to surprise once she saw Lightning across the room. A smile with relief and joy appeared on her face. "So it is true." She stepped in front of Lightning. "You and Serah. Thank goodness that you're alive."

Lightning nodded. "Mrs. Estheim."

Hope stepped over beside his mother. Her eyes traveled over to him. "It was hard to believe, but Hope kept telling us that you were alive somewhere. Seeing you here now, I'm glad that he didn't give up."

Hope smiled, but then looked at Lightning. "It's getting late. You're probably tired from traveling all the way down here."

Lightning nodded. All that they needed to say to each other had been said and done. She looked toward Hope's parents. "It was good seeing both of you again." Afterwards, she walked out of the room leaving Hope alone with his parents. She was about to head back to her room, but she could still hear their voices from inside. Curiously, she leaned against the wall in the hallway and stayed behind to see what his parents would say.

Hope's father stepped in front of him. "I can't believe it. You found her alive."

Nora's lips curved up into a smile. "That's good."

"That means now we can use our previous agreement against the Fal'Cie." His father stated.

Hope's eyes traveled down toward the ground, which they both noticed his expression change. "Hope?" his mother asked concerned.

Hope's expression changed into serious. "The agreement's off."

Both of his parents were surprised by the news, but soon his father looked confused. "What do you mean the agreement's off?"

"I'm not doing it anymore."

Bartholomew couldn't understand why Hope was against it. "Why? With this, she could take over and the two of you could-."

"I'm sorry but the agreement is off." Hope's eyes traveled toward the ground. "I'm not forcing her to become Primarch neither am I forcing her to marry me. I'll figure out another way to stop this."

"But son this could be the only thing that can help us right now." Bartholomew tried to reason with him.

"I can't. I'll figure out another way don't worry, but I can't do that to her." His parents were worried about his decision. Neither one of them wanted to argue with their son, but decided to trust what he was doing. Nora's eyes traveled back over to Hope. "All right. What else do you think you can do?"

At this point, Hope didn't have a plan in mind, but hoped that whatever he thought of would work out soon. "I don't know, but for now, we have to keep the Fal'Cie away before they decided to take both of them. I will think of something soon."

Outside in the hall, Lightning leaned her head and hand against the cold wall. It felt as she was leaving Hope alone to deal with the mess that had become of both worlds. She needed to find some way of helping him. She headed back toward her room, thinking along the way. There had to be another way. Inside of her room, she could see that Serah and Mog were sleeping. Quiet, she stepped in and crawled back into her bed. The thought that the contract might be the only thing to stop this war was still going in her mind. Was it the right thing thinking of an alternative way to stopping this? She closed her eyes. For now, she would take Hope's word that they were safe and soon fell asleep.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update!_


	16. The Fal'Cie Attacks!

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story, sent in reviews, and added this to your favorites and alerts! I really appreciate and enjoyed reading all the reviews that readers sent in. It's tempting to tell what characters are going to be in the story, but I can't spoil it yet! All I can say is see what happens next. I'm also sorry to everyone who was disappointed that I didn't update last week. I hope that this chapter will make up for the wait. _

_I hope that you will enjoy this chapter of the story!_

* * *

_Chapter 16: The Fal'Cie Attacks!: _

As night continued to pass, Lightning began to stir out of her sleep. From far away, she could hear what sounded like voices. Once she came more out her sleep, she could hear more than voices shouting, but noises as well. She opened her eyes and wondered what was going on.

Suddenly, her door opened and in stepped two figures. "Up and at em' little miss sunshine!" one of them called out.

Quickly, Lightning sat up as she got on the defensive. From the side of the bed, she grabbed her gunblade. Hours earlier before she settled in for the night, Hope stopped by and gave it back to her. "Who are you?"

The tallest one flipped on the light which made Lightning squint her eyes. Serah and Mog woke up from the brightness. Mog flew up into the air tired. "Is it time to get up already kupo?"

Serah rubbed her eyes as she looked at the door. "What's going on?"

At the door, she saw two women with weapons in their hands. One had tan skin with raven black hair and blue eyes. The other had sweet, orange colored hair tied into two curly ponytails and green eyes. She smiled with a cheery expression. How she seemed so happy in the middle of night they had no idea. "The name's Fang." She pointed toward her companion. "And this is Vanille."

Vanille waved toward them as she kept on her grin. "Nice to meet you both!"

Lightning looked irritable. "That doesn't explain why you're in our room this late at night."

Fang pointed toward the window as she smirked. "You wanna know why we're here then look outside of your window."

Lightning became curious. She got up and looked outside the window. Her eyes widened in surprised. Outside, there were PSICOM ships flying around with soldiers along the ground fighting with those of the Guardian Corp. One of the ships attacked and hit the bridge that led to the Academy building. "What's going on?"

"What's going on outside, that's why we're here." Fang explained to her. Lightning's eyes traveled back to the raven haired woman. Fang placed her hand on her side. "It seems that someone's here to claim what's there."

More, Lightning began to get upset. She still didn't understand the whole story from the woman. "What are you talking about?"

Vanille gave a look of concern. "The Fal'Cie. We believe that they came here to take both of you so Hope sent us here to watch after you."

Lightning was surprised to learn so and stepped toward Vanille. "Where's Hope now?"

Vanille pointed toward the hallway. "He's down below trying to help hold off the soldiers." Her eyes traveled over to the door concerned. "I hope that he'll be okay..."

Lightning grabbed her gunblade and was about to head out the door, but Fang blocked her way. A faint smirk appeared on her lips. "And where do you think you're going?"

Lightning was determined to go out and help stop this attack. "Where do you think? I'm going down there to help."

"Oh no! You are staying put right where you are. He didn't want to risk you being taken or your sister."

Lightning frowned more as she glared at Fang. "Either you get out of my way or I'll make you get out of my way."

Fang smirked as she gripped on tighter to her staff. If Lightning wanted to fight, then she was interested in testing out her skill against her. "You're a feisty one aren't ya? He warned us about you. Don't make me waste my energy if a real fight comes."

Vanille looked over at Fang concerned. "Now come on! We're not the ones who should be fighting." Soon, she went over and sat on Lightning's bed. She smiled sweetly toward both of them. "Let's just be ready to defend if we need to. In the meantime, why don't you introduce yourselves since we might be here for a while?" First, Vanille's eyes turned to Lightning. Lightning took it as a sign that Vanille wanted her to go first. "Lightning." Afterwards, she sat on her bed near Vanille and began putting on her boots.

Vanille looked back toward Serah. "What about you two?"

Serah's lips curved up into a smile. "I'm Serah and this little guy is Mog."

"Nice to meet you kupo."

Lightning placed her coat on and got settled before she got up again. She headed toward the door. This time Fang just leaned in the doorway. Lightning glanced back at her younger sister. "Serah. Stay here." She was about step out, but Fang placed her leg in between the door. Lightning glared toward her. "Move it or I'll break it."

Fang just smirked at her threat. "For some princess, you don't seem like one to me. I guess if you want to, I'll have no choice but to follow ya."

Lightning didn't have time to waste nor was she going to argue with Fang if she going to follow. "Come if you want." Afterwards Fang placed her foot down. Lightning stepped out first.

Serah leaned forward, worried. "Lightning! I want to help too!"

Lightning shook her head. There was no way she was putting Serah at risk. "No." she answered her.

"I have Mog to fight with me. I'll be fine." Serah tried to convince her.

Vanille smiled, thinking of a way she could help the situation. "Don't worry Lightning. She'll have me looking out for her." She looked back at Serah. "We'll stick together."

Serah nodded back. Maybe hearing that would help Lightning change her mind. Without argument, Lightning headed out into the hallway first to check it out with Fang. Vanille looked over toward Serah. "Aren't you scared?"

Serah's eyes drifted toward the ground. "A little but as long as I have Lightning and Mog with me I'll be fine. What about you? Are you scared?"

Vanille looked down toward her legs. "A little, but I'll be all right. Not like I haven't fought before."

Serah nodded. "Let's go."

Serah ran with Mog behind her and Vanille followed them. As they ran through the halls, it was clear for now. Fang and Lightning leaned on opposite sides of the wall as they stood near the elevator. Fang glanced over at Lightning. "You worried?"

Lightning held her gunblade tighter in her hand, ready to attack at any moment. "Over PSICOM? Not really."

Fang gave a faint smile. "I meant over Hope. You couldn't get out of that room fast enough."

"To help him. He's the Academy leader yet he's fighting down there. What are they going to do if they lose their leader?" Lightning explained.

Fang took note of Lightning's expression while she was looking away and then grinned. Lightning could try to hide some of her reasons for going, but Fang had her suspicions. "I'll take that as a yes. The man was very clear that he wanted us to look after you if you were wondering."

On the inside, Lightning became interested, but on the exterior kept a focus look. Once the doors opened, soldiers came out with guns in hand. Instantly, Fang and Lightning attacked and knocked each of them down. Afterwards, all four of them stepped into the elevator. Lightning pressed on one of the buttons. Fang looked over at Lightning. "You know where you're going?" Lightning remained silence. This was first time that she had been in the Academy headquarters. She suspected that Fang knew where everyone else was fighting in the building. Fang placed her hand at her waist and pointed toward the buttons. "Wrong floor."

"We should help get rid of all the soldiers not just where the main battle is taken place." Lightning pointed out.

Soon, the elevator stopped and opened to another floor where there were soldiers in the hall. Lightning rushed in first and began fighting. Fang smiled at Lightning's response for why she pressed the button for the wrong floor. "Nice save." She got her staff in her hand ready to attack.

The others ran in and fought against the soldiers. After defeating a few, a bigger group of soldiers came with guns ready in hand. Serah looked concerned as she got ready to attack. "There's too many of them."

Lightning got ready to attack. "Serah. You and Vanille attack from a distance and give us cover."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lightning noticed Fang step out in front. "Why don't you let us handle this? Come on Vanille."

Vanille nodded and smiled. She stepped in beside Fang. "Right!"

Lightning was confused as to what she was up to. "What are you doing?"

"We can get rid of these guys easy. Why don't you let us take the front?" Lightning wanted to argue against it, but they didn't have time. Instead, she switched her sword to gun. Fang looked over to Vanille. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Vanille held her hand out and casted a Firega attack. The attack knocked almost half of the soldiers down. Fang ran forward, taking advantage while they were distracted and attacked with her staff head on. Toward the crowd, she casted Ruinga and blasted the soldiers away. Serah and Lightning were stunned that they could use magic and wondered how it was possible. With the few soldiers left over, Serah and Lightning helped to defeat them.

After the fight was over, Fang and Vanille turned to Lightning and Serah who still seemed somewhat surprised. Fang placed her hand on her hip. "Let me guess. You probably got questions about what we are." Lightning and Serah glanced at each other, each thinking the same thing. They weren't sure what Fang and Vanille were. Fang turned her arm out clear for them to see. The mark on her arm was covered in white but was distinguishable. "Both Vanille and I are L'Cie."

* * *

In the lobby, the Guardian Corp was still fighting against PSICOM in massive gunfire.

"Let's go! Hurry!" Hope stood nearby as he waved his hand. Some of the Academy members ran by him into another room to get out of the line of fire. After all of his members escaped, he turned his attention back to the fight at hand. He ran over and kneeled down where there was cover next to Snow and Sazh. Snow was shooting with a rifle that he picked up off of a soldier and Sazh was shooting with his own guns. "You guys doing okay?"

Snow smiled nervously. "Yeah. We're doing fine."

"They're sure a lot of them though." Sazh pointed out.

"Thank you again for helping out." Hope said to them.

Snow smiled as he held up his fist. "Hey! If you really think that Serah and Light are in danger, then of course I'm going to help out! Serah's my fiancée. Of course I'm going to protect her. Besides, I owe you one."

Hope was surprised to hear Snow say that. "For what?"

"Because you came to help Serah out and you got us out of that place."

"There's no need." Hope assured him. He pulled out his boomerang from his side and tossed it forward. With his glove, he controlled where it went. With it, he used it to hit and distract some of the soldiers. Other times, he applied an electric shock to knock a few out. Afterwards, he pulled his gunblade out from his side and started shooting. His boomerang came back toward him and he caught it in his hand. With their attacks, a path had been cleared. Hope stood up and ran forward as he waved his hand. "Come on!"

Snow and Sazh listened and followed in behind. They fought against the soldiers. During the battle, Hope struck down the soldiers around him. When he turned around, a soldier approached behind him ready to attack. His eyes widened. It was too late to react. The soldier was about to strike when he suddenly stopped. A few seconds later, he fell before Hope. Hope was surprised by what happened.

"Don't just stand there." He looked back behind him once he heard the voice and saw Lightning walking forward with her gun still pointed. She stopped beside him. "You need to make sure that you watch your back."

Hope nodded. For that moment, he was grateful that she came to his aid. "Right." Behind her, he could see that she came down with Fang, Vanille, and Serah. His expression turned to concern and looked at Lightning. "You guys were supposed to stay upstairs out of this."

Lightning got ready to attack with her sword. "And miss this?"

"We can handle things down here. If the Fal'Cie takes even one of you-."

"You worry too much and you could use all the help you can get. Serah and I will be fine. I'm looking out for her as well."

"And who's going to be looking out for you?" he asked curiously.

"Hmm…" Lightning took a second to think about it. "If you got my back, then I guess you will."

Hope sighed as he shook his head. There would be no sending her back even if he tried. Both of them ran forward like the others and fought together. They managed to push PSICOM out onto the bridge and made them retreat back to their own ships. Above the Academy, there was a ship which made them stop and look up. On the top of the ship, a silver haired man Rosch dressed in a black uniform stepped in with his arms behind his back. His stared turned down to Hope and the others below. He held his hand up so that they would cease their fire. "Director! This battle can stop once you give us what we came here for!" he shouted.

Serah held her bow in hand as she looked toward Hope. "Now what?"

"Stay here and keep out of sight." Determined, Hope stepped out onto the bridge in front of the ship. "I suggest that you stop this fighting! Most of your soldiers here have been defeated! We will not give you what you want!"

Inside of the building, the others remained out of sight, but peeked around the corners to see what was going on. Serah kneeled down beside Lightning who was watching. "You think that he'll be okay out there alone?"

Lightning's eyes lowered, but still kept a close watch to make sure that none of the PSICOM soldiers made a move. It was hard to be sure if the enemy wouldn't attack or if they could protect him. "I don't know. He should have taken someone out there with him."

Rosch frowned as some of the anger showed through his face. "I'm warning you! Surrender and give us what we want or they will shoot!"

From nearby, Hope could hear guns click as if they were getting ready to attack. A little of his fear began to rise inside of him, but he didn't show it through his expression. Behind him, some of his soldiers came out and kneeled down as they got ready to attack as well which he noticed. Hope lifted his head up to Rosch. "My answer is still no!"

Rosch closed his eyes, disappointed that this couldn't go easier. "On my mark fire. Destroy the bridge and make sure none of them escape. For the safety of Cocoon, we must win this battle." Hope and the others waited to see what Rosch would do next. The thought came into his mind that he should attack first since he doubted that he would give up and leave. He stepped back cautiously and noticed that none of the PSICOM soldiers attempted to shoot him. "Fire!" Rosch ordered. The ship shot toward the bridge. The impact caused the bridge to break away. The soldiers ran along with Hope to avoid falling into the darkness below.

Lightning's and Serah's eyes widened. Serah stood up and was ready to rush out. "They're not going to make it!" A soldier that was out on the bridge tripped and fell in front of Lightning inside. He managed to make it back before getting caught in the bridge collapse. Alongside him, Lightning noticed a missile launcher. She grabbed it and kneeled down while adjusting her eye to the target guide. She aimed toward the ship that fired and pulled the trigger. With a few missiles, she hit the ship and caused it to fall. At least that way, the ship couldn't try to shoot at Hope and the other soldiers.

As he kept running, the ground broke underneath Hope and made his feet slip. Before he could fall, he managed to grab onto the edge. By then, the bridge breaking apart had started to slow down, but still he was in danger of falling. He struggled to pull himself up, but it was hard. Lightning looked surprised, seeing that he was struggling and ran out toward him. Hope closed his eyes tight. He felt that his hands were slipping. A few seconds later, his fingers completely slipped off the edge. His eyes widened as he could feel himself falling down in the air below.

Suddenly, he stopped. When he raised his head, he saw that Lightning was above him struggling to pull him back up. He couldn't believe it. "Light…" Lightning continued trying, but it was hard. Nearby, he could hear the sounds of her struggling. Shortly after, he heard a cracking sound. Quickly, his eyes darted over and saw that the ground around her feet was breaking around her. "Light go! If you stay here, we'll both end up falling." Lightning didn't listen but only continued struggling to pull him up. "Light-!"

"Why are you so heavy? Can't you drop some of this stuff?"

"Listen! You need to go on! Don't-."

"Stop talking and start helping! I don't need to hear you go on about leaving you behind. There are people here who still need you."

Hope looked surprised. He wondered if there was any chance that he meant her as well. With her, he began struggling to pull himself up, but the ground was still falling nearby them. Lightning could feel her foot about to slip.

Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Surprised, she looked over as she felt Hope's weight on her getting lighter. The blond haired man smiled at her as he grabbed Hope's other hand. "Hey Light! Looks like you could use a hand." With Snow's help, they pulled Hope up onto the ground.

As he sat on his hands and knees, Hope took a moment to catch his breath before he lifted his head. "Thanks Snow."

"Yeah. Thank you." Lightning replied as she stood up. Through her voice, she sounded grateful for his help.

Across the broken bridge, they saw a few PSICOM soldiers along with their leader Rosch kneeling on the ground. They managed to land on the ground after they escaped from the falling ship. Soldiers from the Guardian Corp stepped up behind Hope and the others. Hope pointed forward and ordered them to catch Rosch and the other PSICOM soldiers. The Guardian Corp managed to get over to the other side and arrested them. Hope, Lightning, and Snow went back inside the Academy building. Vanille rushed over to Hope concerned and hugged him. "Hope?! Are you okay?!"

Hope separated from her and nodded. "Yeah. Since we have PSICOM's leader, they shouldn't try and attack us again. For now, you guys can head up to your rooms. Fang? Vanille? Can you still keep watch over Lightning and Serah?"

Fang placed her staff over her shoulder and smirked over toward Lightning. "Only if this one here promises to be on her best behavior."

As much as Lightning wanted to response to that and say that she didn't need to watched over like some child, she just crossed her arms and turned away from her as she closed her eyes. "I'll be back to find you guys later once everything here has been taken care of." After Hope finished speaking, the others walked away and headed back upstairs while Hope stuck around with the soldiers and to speak with other Academy members.

* * *

Later, Lightning was sitting on her bed with her arms crossed as she listening to the conversations that were being held between Serah, Vanille, and Fang. Along with them came Snow and Sazh and they began conversations as well. She noticed that Serah seemed to smile more talking to Vanille and Snow. Things had seemed more relaxed after the attack and nothing else came up. Minutes later, there was a knock against their door which everyone turned their attention toward it. Vanille smiled, thinking the same thing as the others that it was most likely Hope. "Come in!"

The door opened and they saw that it was the leader of the Academy himself. "Good! I see that everyone is still awake." He stepped inside and let the door close behind him. "I've come to a decision about what needs to happen next. Since the Fal'Cie attacked, it's not safe for either one of you to stay here so I'm moving you to another part of Pulse where the Fal'Cie will not be able to find you for at least some time. Coming with you will be a few soldiers so that if the Fal'Cie does find you, at least you will have a chance to get away. Also, there will be a few members of the Academy to help guide you to where you will be going."

Serah looked surprised. "You won't be going with us?"

Hope shook his head with his eyes closed. "I'm afraid not." He looked over toward Fang and Vanille. "Fang? Vanille? Can I count on you to go with them?"

Vanille nodded as she smiled. "You can count on us!"

Fang crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall. "I guess so."

Hope turned his attention to Sazh and Snow. "Sazh. If you would like, we can provide transportation to get you back onto Cocoon. No one will have to know that you were here on Pulse. Snow. I assumed that you will probably want to go with Serah."

In response, Snow nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to be there to help protect Serah."

"Then it's all set. We'll all be leaving soon." Hope turned around and was about to walk away, but the others looked concerned. Vanille stood up. "Hope? What will you be doing?"

A comforting smile came across his face. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." Afterwards, he left from the room leaving the others still curious about what he was up to. After a few minutes, they began to relax as they were waiting for the orders to go when Hope was ready. Everyone stepped into the living room that was attached to the bedroom and spent time there talking.

The thought of what Hope was up to weighted on Lightning's mind heavily. He didn't give them any clue as to what he was up to and she hoped that he wasn't planning anything reckless. While the others weren't paying attention, she stood up from her chair and stepped out into her bedroom. She was about to head out of the door when she heard a voice behind her. "Going to see what he's up to?" When Lightning looked back, she saw Serah behind her. She placed her hands on her hips. "I guess you can read me better than I thought."

Serah's lips curved into a smile at her comment. "You just seemed a little worried that's all. I want to know what he's planning too."

"So do I." Lightning and Serah looked over to see Vanille come by Serah. "I'm worried about him too."

"I'll see."Afterwards, Lightning stepped outside and headed for his office. She knocked against his door and heard a voice on the other side telling her to come in. When she stepped inside, Hope was sitting on top of his desk, looking back toward her. He was a little surprised to see her. "Hey! What brings you here?" She closed the door, but not completely and stepped over behind his desk along with him. Beside him, she sat and looked over. Hope lifted his head and gazed up toward the sky through the huge window. She followed his eyes and gazed up at the sky along with him. "What are you doing?"

"Just looking up at the sky. It's hard to see the stars from here, but you can sort of see a few."

Lightning looked over and saw Cocoon floating in the sky. "It's different seeing somewhere you lived on all your life floating in the sky."

"I know. You're looking on the outside for the first time."

Her eyes traveled over to him curious and a little concerned. She wanted to get to the point of why she was there. "What are you going to do while we're stuck somewhere on Pulse?"

A gentle smile appeared on his lips. "I told you that you didn't have to worry about it. Everything will be taken care of."

Lightning frowned. Again, he was keeping something from her. "Hope? Where are you going? What are you going to do?"

"Seriously don't-." Once Hope saw the upset glare, he immediately stopped and seen that she was in no mood to go back and forth for an answer. He sighed as he closed his eyes. "I won't be joining you."

"Then where are you going?" His eyes drifted toward the floor. He knew what he would say next would not make her in any way happy. She started to get impatient. "Hope? Where are you going?"

"Eden." he answered in a low tone.

Lightning was a little taken aback at first, but then she frowned as she was concerned. "You're going to Eden alone? That sounds like a suicide mission."

His eyes continued to stare toward the floor. "I won't be alone. There will be soldiers there with me."

She arched her eyebrow. "And what exactly do you plan to do when you get there?"

"Try and talk to the Primarch. He had no right attacking us like he did tonight. We need to find a way to make him stop attacking the Academy. We don't want to fight. We never did. Now we need a way to make them listen."

Lightning didn't think that they were going to listen especially now. "And if they don't?" Hope sighed. There wasn't really anything he could think of to do if that didn't work. "This all sounds dangerous. They'll kill you on sight. You shouldn't go."

"If I don't do something now, then they'll just keep attacking. If I can prevent people from dying, then isn't it worth trying?"

Lightning moved in closer. More of her concern started to show. "Not if you die yourself. Rethink this Hope."

He shook his head. "There isn't much we can do."

"We can't trust them."

"I know."

Lightning's eyes drifted toward the ground. "There has to be another way."

"Not that I can think of."

"Just come with us and think of a new plan." she tried to convince him.

Hope turned silence. It felt as if it was too late and he couldn't risk another attack. "We'll be leaving soon. You should rest along with the others."

"Hmm…" Soon, she stood and started walking away. It seemed as if his mind was made up even if she was completely against it. Hope held his head down, still thinking about the risks of going alone. There was a possibility that he wouldn't come back, but he couldn't be afraid. After all, he was responsible for looking out not just for the Academy, but the people of Pulse as well. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he saw something standing in front of him. He lifted his head to see Lightning sitting back beside him. "Light-?" Then, he felt the weight of her head leaning against his shoulder. Her bangs covered over her face from her side. "Just be careful." she spoke softly.

His eyes went toward the floor. "I will." Hope turned his head toward her. Slightly, she turned her head up toward him. After staring at each other for a few seconds, he leaned in at first, but then stopped himself remembering the promise that he told her before. Lightning leaned in the rest of the way and pressed her lips against his. Instantly, he closed his eyes as he kissed her back.

Outside in the hall, Alyssa headed over toward Hope's office to gather details about where he was going next. She was about to knock on his door, but as soon as she hit it, the door came open a little more. She was surprised since usually Hope kept his door closed. Slowly, she pushed it open. Once she witness the scene before her, her eyes widened stunned. _"What?"_ Her mind raced on what she should do next, but in the end she stepped backwards into the hallway. Her back leaned against the wall, still surprised about what she saw. _"How is this possible? Who is that woman? The Director has never really showed interest in any woman before." _Her eyes lowered toward the ground. Curious, she walked away to find out what was going on. It was strange. She got the idea that Hope knew the woman, but how much did he actually know her?

Inside of his office, the two slowly parted from each other. Lightning lifted her head along with her eyes to Hope. A slight grin came on his face. "You're not making things any easier." A small smile came on her face as she closed her eyes. "I still made that promise."

Lightning stood up and walked out of his office. She headed back to her room. When she walked into the room, she sat down on her bed. Soon, Vanille and Serah came out to see that she was already back. They sat down on Serah's bed in front of Lightning as they looked anxious. "So what did he say?" Serah asked.

Lightning crossed her arms. "He's going to Eden to talk to the Primarch."

Serah and Vanille looked at each other surprised before they looked over at Lightning. Vanille turned concerned. "But he can't go alone. It's dangerous."

"I know but it's his choice."

Vanille's eyes traveled toward the ground showing more of a saddened look. Right away Serah noticed. "What's wrong?"

"I guess it's just that… him trying to do things all on his own. A few years ago, he helped me and Fang even knowing that we were L'Cie. That was very nice of him. We saw him mostly bury himself in his work and not go out much. Sometimes, he doesn't even sleep for long. I guess he was always trying to find something he could keep his attention on. For a while, I thought that he was looking for something. Maybe he still is or maybe he's giving up on finding it. Hmm…" Serah's and Lightning's eyes traveled over to each other, thinking the same thing. That maybe they knew one thing that he was searching for. They turned their attention back to Vanille. Vanille lifted her head as she got an idea and they could help. She started to cheer up more. "Maybe we can help him find what he's looking for!"

Serah smiled as she placed a hand against Vanille's shoulder. "I don't think you have to worry about helping him find what he's looking for."

Vanille looked curious and surprised. Serah had sounded so sure. "Why?"

Serah glanced at Lightning before turning her attention back to Vanille. "Because he might have already found it."

Vanille kept her surprised look. She wondered if Serah knew something she didn't.

Lightning's eyes turned toward the window in their room as she began to wonder. For years, she stayed out of Hope's sights because of what she thought he did. Now she could see that she had made a mistake. Had she really cause him to be unhappy for so long?

* * *

Meanwhile, Alyssa walked through the Academy trying to think of who she could talk to about the questions that were on her mind. When she checked her computer earlier, she couldn't find any information that would link both Hope and Lightning together. She pulled out her phone thinking of someone she could call, but then something had caught her eye. Nearby she saw Hope's mother heading toward a room. She yawned as she looked tired and placed her hand toward her face. Alyssa was surprised and rushed over to her before she could get into her room. She would be the perfect person to ask about the situation. "Mrs. Estheim!"

Nora looked over and saw Alyssa stop in front of her. "Yes Alyssa?"

Alyssa smiled as she held her hands together in front of her. "I was wondering if I could ask a question."

Nora was surprised and curious. "What is it?"

After minutes of talking, they sat inside of her room where Nora explained how Hope knew Lightning. The story surprised Alyssa. She realized that things were more important between the two of them than she thought. Not just the agreement, but that Lightning was important herself. It had explained a lot. There was a look of disappointment on Nora's face which Alyssa noticed. "Is there something wrong?"

Nora smiled slightly to show that nothing was. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

Nora sighed as her eyes traveled to the ground. "Well…Now Hope will have to think of another way to make peace with the Primarch."

"Why is that?"

Nora lifted her eyes to her. "The agreement between the two of them is dissolved. It is a shame. I thought that it would actually happen." She hoped that not only would the agreement work out and that the worlds would be at peace, but that Hope and Lightning would be happy together. The times she seen them together when they were younger, she thought for sure that things would work out between them. It seemed that now wasn't the case.

After thinking, Alyssa stood up. "You must be tired. I'll leave now. Good night."

Nora let out tired smile. "Good night."

* * *

Later as the night continued, a pair of boots stepped on to one of the lower floors of the Academy. The feet stopped in front of the cell that held the few PSICOM soldiers they captured and their leader Rosch who was sitting on the floor. They all lifted their heads to the mysterious figure above them. "You came here to get something." they started off.

Rosch grew more suspicious wondering why someone from the enemy side came to help them. "Who are you?"

"You'll know soon enough, but for now, how would you like to complete what you came here for?"

Rosch arched his eyebrow and stood up. The figure helping them unlocked the cell they were in and allowed him to step out. "And why would you want to help us? We are here to help Cocoon. What you're doing would be treason to your own side. How do we know you won't do the same to us?"

"Maybe I'm not helping your enemy at all. Maybe I'm on the side of the Fal'Cie also. I'm giving you a chance to try again. I've been giving new orders and hope that you can help me with what I'm about to ask."

The other soldiers stepped out of the cell behind Rosch. Rosch looked curious. "And what would that be?"

"You only need one Fal'Cie princess right?"

"Yes?"

"Then, I can provide you with one, but the other you don't need. How about you have the other one… I guess to put it…taken care of?"

"Why?" Rosch asked curious.

"Because the one you need to take care of will cause you nothing but problems where as the other will be easy to take. You'll have a better chance of getting her to cooperate." Rosch stared at the person deciding whether or not to trust them. The person pulled out their phone and handed it over to him. "If you don't believe me, then how about you call one of your associates and see for yourself? I'm on your side helping you."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I hope that you will stick around to see what happens next! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update!_


	17. Time's Up

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story, sent in reviews, and added this to your favorites and alerts! I've enjoyed reading everything that was sent!  
_

_I hope that everyone will really like this chapter of the story! _

* * *

_Chapter 17: Time's Up:_

As time in the night had passed, there was a knock on the door of Lightning's and Serah's room. Serah was lying on her bed with her eyes closed, resting along with Mog while the others were in the next room. She opened her eyes after hearing the noise. Curiously, she sat up along with Mog. "Maybe that's Hope now getting ready to move us."

Mog plopped down back on the bed still tired. "Do we have to go now kupo? When do we get to sleep again kupo?" he groaned.

Serah headed toward the door to see who it was. Lightning stepped into the room, hearing the knock as well. "Who is it?"

Serah looked back at her. "I'm not sure, but I'll check." She opened the door and looked around to see that no one was in the hall. She stepped out in the hallway and searched around. "It's weird... There's no one out here."

Suspicious, Lightning was about to go out with her when the door suddenly closed in front of her. She tried to open it, but she couldn't. "Serah! See if you can open the door from the outside. It won't open from here."

Serah was about to go to the door when she noticed the door to the elevator open. PSICOM soldiers ran out toward her. Serah's eyes widened worried. "Lightning!" She struggled, but couldn't get the door to open. Without Mog, there was no weapon that she could use to hold them off. "The soldiers! They're back!"

Lightning's eyes widened as she could hear the sounds of Serah struggling. Quickly, she took out her gunblade and tried to pry the door open, but it wasn't enough. "Serah! Hold on!"

Mog flew over worried. "Serah kupo!"

The others came in from the living room to see what was happening. "What's going on?" Sazh asked curiously.

Mog turned toward them. "Somebody's taking Serah and locked us in here kupo!"

Everyone was surprised to hear so. Snow rushed over and tried to see how he could pull the door open while Lightning still struggled to pry it open. "Serah!"

Outside, the PSICOM soldier attached a device onto the door and turned it on. It began beeping. A timer had started by giving them ten minutes and started counting down from there. "We got the bomb secure. Let's go."

Serah's eyes widened in fear. If they couldn't find a way to stop the bomb, then everyone inside of the room could die. She struggled and managed to get loose from the soldier that was holding her. She ran back toward the door. "Lightning! Try to get out while you can! There's a bomb that's about to go off in less than ten minutes!"

On the other side of the door, Lightning's eyes widened as she froze. A few soldiers grabbed Serah and headed to the other end of the hall where the elevator was. One soldier stayed behind. "Not that either of you were supposed to know that. If you try to open this door, then it will automatically go off so good luck." Afterwards, the soldier walked away to rejoin the other soldiers.

Vanille looked around worried. "What are going to do now?"

"We can't exactly get out of here now or this whole place will explode!" Sazh pointed out.

Fang crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall. "So do we sit here waiting to die or do something about it? Vanille and I could probably blast that door open and probably destroy that thing."

Lightning slammed her fist against the door as she held her head down. Her mind raced as she tried to think about what to do. Serah was in trouble and so was she. The more she waited there, the more likely they could get away from her.

Vanille's eyes traveled down toward the ground. "We need help."

That when an idea jumped into Lightning's mind. Maybe there was still a chance. Suddenly, she grabbed Mog and headed toward the window. "Kupo! Kupo! Kupo!" With her gunblade she broke the glass in her window and threw Mog outside. He rolled in the air, but with his wings he managed to get himself to stop. There was a serious but anxious expression on Lightning's face. "Mog we don't have time for this! Find Hope. He might still be in his office. Go!"

Mog turned to her as he flew and nodded. "Right kupo!" Afterwards, Mog took off flying as fast he could.

Lightning looked down from the room she was in. Jumping was out of the question. She turned to the others. "We can't risk anything hitting that door. Besides, Hope still might be on the same floor that we're on and he won't know that there's even a bomb here. At least this way sending Mog, he can send for help."

"That is if he's still in his office." Fang pointed out.

Snow looked concerned. "But what about Serah?"

Lightning placed her hand on her hip. "Let's just hope that they don't get too far away from here. If they find a way to take off, then we might lose her again." Snow sighed. He knew that Lightning was right. Still, they were running out of time.

Outside of the building, Mog flew around trying to see where the window to Hope's office was. Finally, he found the window and saw that he was sitting at his desk working. He knocked against the window, but Hope didn't response or turn around. He figured that Hope couldn't hear him. "I need to think of some way to get his attention kupo!" Then, Mog looked over at his staff and used that to bang against the window. The sound came out a little louder, but still wasn't enough. "Kupo!" he sounded frustrated. Mog took a second to think before he remembered something. "Oh right kupo!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, he appeared in front of Hope sitting on his desk and happy that he figured it out. All he needed was a moment to think. Hope's eyes widened in surprised. Mog suddenly appearing in front of him out of nowhere had scared him. "Mog?"

As Mog sat, his body began to bounce from side to side anxious. "The others need your help kupo. Serah and Lightning are in danger kupo. Some soldiers came and took Serah kupo. Lightning and the others are stuck in her room with a bomb strapped to the door kupo." He flew upwards, still floating near Hope's face. "If they try to open it, it will explode kupo! You have to hurry kupo!"

Hope couldn't believe what he heard. Instantly after hearing the whole story, he rushed out of his chair and ran outside. When he turned his head, from far off, he could still see the soldiers walking. He ran after them.

As the soldiers were walking, Serah continued struggling against them to try and buy time, but it wasn't slowing them down as much. "This one is a handful!"

Suddenly behind him a soldier fell down on the ground. They could see from the wound that he had been shocked. The other soldiers looked back and saw a boomerang flying toward them. "Come on! Into the elevator!"

Hope continued running, but Mog flew through the air faster than he had ran, getting a closer distance than he did. Hope rushed and tried to make it to the elevator, but the doors had already closed. He slammed his fist against the door. He couldn't let them get away with Serah.

Mog managed to make it inside where he flew around avoiding the soldiers trying to hit him with their guns. While they were distracted, Serah looked over at the elevator buttons. With her foot, she kicked the open door button. Like the soldiers looking over, Hope was just as surprised about the doors opening. Quickly getting over his surprise, he knocked the soldiers down with his boomerang and shocked them. The one soldier loosened his hold on Serah.

Serah noticed and took advantage. She elbowed the soldier in his stomach and stepped down hard on his foot. "Mog!" Mog transformed into a bow and dropped in Serah's hand. She stepped out of the elevator beside Hope and shot arrows at the soldiers. Together, they took all of them out. Soon, the door closed in on the soldiers leaving them there in the elevator. Both Hope and Serah sighed with relief. Serah smiled at Hope. "Thanks! How did you know that I was in danger?"

Hope smiled over at Mog who was flying beside her. "Thank Mog. He's the one that told me. Now we better help Lightning and the others. I just hope we're not too late."

Serah nodded as her expression turned serious. "Right! Let's go." They ran back to her room where they saw the bomb still going on the door with only three minutes left to spare. Hope observed the bomb to see if he could figure out how to disable it. Serah looked up toward the door and slammed her fist against it. "Lightning!"

Inside, Lightning was helping the others to create a barricade in the next room in order to block off some of the effect from the explosion. She lifted her head as she thought that she could hear Serah's voice. She waited and heard her name being called again. Lightning headed over toward the door. "Lightning! Can you hear me?!" Serah called again. She wondered why she wasn't answering.

Lightning was surprised. "Serah? Is that you?"

A smile of relief came on Serah's face. "Yes! Are you okay?"

"Serah? How did you escape?"

Serah looked over at Hope who stood up. "Hope helped."

Lightning breathed a sigh of relief. Mog must've found him like she hoped. Hope pressed his hand against the door. "Lightning? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Have you figured out some way to get this thing off the door?"

"Not yet but don't worry. I'm going to figure out some way to get you out of here okay?"

"How many minutes are left?"

"Less than three." Hope answered.

Lightning pressed her hand against the door. "Listen! Make sure that you have enough time so that you and Serah can get off the floor away from the explosion. We might be okay. We're creating a way to barricade ourselves from the blast."

A look of concern came on Hope's face. He wished that it would be that easy. "I'm sorry but that might not work. From looking at this thing, the range of the blast is enough to destroy this whole floor. Even if you were to block yourselves off, the explosion itself might destroy you completely or blast you off into the sky."

Lightning sighed to herself as she held her head down. Was there any time to think of another plan? "Hope. I want you to still take Serah and get out of here. Make sure that you take care of her."

A determined look came on his face. "Don't start talking like it's already over. That's not like you. I'm going to find a way to get you out of here."

Lightning's eyes lowered. "And if you don't?"

A gentle smile came on Hope's face. "I'll tell you if the timer only has ten seconds left. All you need to know for now is that we're not leaving you." He looked over toward Serah who smiled in response at his words. She would stay no matter what. "I'll be back. I'm going to call in for help. I can't risk getting this wrong." Serah nodded and Hope ran back into his office. He found his communicator and managed to get a hold of a group that specialized in disabling explosives. He kneeled down in front of the door and spoke to one of the officers. He described the bomb and saw that some of his knowledge of the device was right. He listened carefully as the soldier instructed him on what to do. Things were going to get tricky with carefully cutting the wires that needed to be cut and with less than one minute left he couldn't afford to make a mistake. Hope focused and began using clippers to cut the wires.

Lightning stood nearby the door trying to wait as patiently as she could, but it was getting harder. "How much time is left?"

Serah's eyes traveled over and read the clock. "Fifty-one seconds."

Snow stepped over toward the door. "Serah-!"

"Hold on Snow. Hope has to listen to what the soldier is saying." Her lips curved into a smile, hopeful. "We'll have time to talk after."

By the time it got to fifteen seconds, Hope finished cutting the last wire and sighed with relief that he got through it all. His comfort was soon stopped when he noticed that the timer was still going. "What? It's not stopping." Serah looked worried along with Snow and Lightning. "I did everything that was said."

"Hope! Take Serah and get out of here!" Lightning told him.

Hope lifted his head. "It's too late." His eyes traveled down. There was only ten seconds remaining.

Serah's eyes lowered in sadness. She wanted things to work out and for them to be okay. She sat on her knees as she put her head down. "I'm sorry Lightning... Snow…" she said with remorse in her voice. Nearby, Mog lowered his head and flew down to sit beside her. He became sad that they couldn't save them as well. "Kupo…"

Lightning shook her head as she stared down. "No Serah… I'm sorry."

Gently Snow smiled. If this was going to be his and Serah's last moments together, then there were a few things he wanted to say before that. "It's okay. You know the best thing that ever happened to me was you and I don't regret that for a second."

Serah smiled as she could feel tears come to her eyes. "Same here. I don't regret it either."

A big smile came to Snow's lips. "Serah. Don't forget. I love you."

More Serah smiled hearing that. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as she closed them. "I won't! I love you too Snow."

Hope looked over at Serah as Lightning looked over at Snow as they were talking. It was touching to hear the things that they said to each other and wondered if they should say the same. "Hey." Snow looked over at Lightning who spoke. "I'm sorry that I gave you hard time about Serah. If you still had the chance, I would let you marry her because… it makes her happy."

Snow smiled glad to hear that. "Thanks sis."

Lightning turned her head back to the door and closed her eyes. Since they were going to meet their end, she wasn't going to get mad this time that he called her his sister. More her mind was stuck on if she should say any last words to a certain someone left. "Hope-."

"Lightning! I don't regret that it all came down to this." His hands were planted against the door as he stared toward it. "I was just happy again that I found you after all this time." His eyes drifted toward the floor as a smile came upon his lips. He felt that he should say what was on his heart before it was too late. "Just remember that I meant what I said before. About how I feel about you…"

"You were right about before."

Hope lifted his eyes to the door when he heard her voice through it. "About-?"

Lightning stared toward the ground as the side of her arm was pressed against the door. She felt that he needed to know the truth. She pushed to get the words out since this was her last chance. "What you asked me earlier tonight. I didn't hate you. I…" She breathed out, keeping herself going and keeping out of mind who else was listening. It was easier saying it in person to him, but since there was no time left, she would finish what she had to say. "I feel… the same... as you… maybe… just as much..." Afterwards, she leaned her head against her arm as she closed her eyes. What she wanted to say was said. Now she wouldn't have any regret, not because she said it and not because she never got the chance to.

Vanille came around the corner from the other room worried. "Come on guys! Get behind the barrier before it's too late."

Neither Lightning nor Snow moved. In silence, Lightning kept her head pressed on her arm that was on the door with her eyes closed. Snow stood nearby staring forward toward the door worried. His thoughts went over the past that he had with Serah and the future that he thought would never be now.

Outside, Hope slid his back against the wall until he could feel himself sitting on the hard floor. Even if he and Serah tried to run, they couldn't get off the floor in time. They would be caught in the explosion as well. Would he want to run now knowing that the one person he wanted to stay with most was behind the door trapped?

As the last message she left him with kept replaying in his mind, it made Hope smile. He was happy knowing that at the end of his life she felt the same way as him even now. It was nice to know that she didn't hate him. He turned his head toward the door. The last thing he saw was the timer display one second left before it changed to zero.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Stay tuned to see what happens next! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update!_


	18. Take Off

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who sent in reviews, added this to your favorites and alerts, and kept up with the story! I really appreciate all of the feedback I have gotten! _

_So last time, I left off with a cliffhanger. What will happen next? Read this chapter to find out! I hope that you will enjoying reading it!_

* * *

_Chapter 18: Take Off:_

There was nothing they could feel. It felt as nothing happened. Slowly, Hope, Serah and Mog lifted their eyes. Everything looked the same around them. Their eyes traveled over toward the door and saw that timer had gone dark. "What?" the word slipped out of Hope's mouth.

Behind the door, Lightning and Snow opened their eyes and saw that everything was fine. They reacted with surprise. Snow placed his hands on his chest, making sure he was still alive. "We're all right."

Vanille, Fang, and Sazh came into the same room they were in and were just as surprised as they were. Sazh looked around the room. "Aren't we supposed to be…not still alive?"

Vanille pressed her hand against her chest and smiled in relief. "That must mean that the others must've figured out how to stop it."

Outside, Hope and Serah stood up cautiously as if the bomb still might go off at any second. They looked at each other surprised. "Serah? Hope?" Lightning called through the door.

Serah smiled glad to hear her sister's voice. "Lightning. We're okay. Are you?"

Lightning glanced around the room before answering. "We're fine."

"Stay there." Hope warned them inside. "Just because the timer has stopped doesn't mean it still doesn't have a chance of going off. Whatever you do, do not open the door. I'm going to see what needs to be done next." Hope was about to run off, but then noticed that Serah wasn't following him. "Serah?"

Serah smiled as she had Mog flying beside her. "Don't worry. We're going to watch over the door to make sure that nothing else happens."

Hope smiled in response and nodded. "Be careful."

Minutes later, he got a few soldiers to come up and check the bomb. They managed to get it off of the door and carefully carry it off. Hope got the door to reopen. Behind it, they saw the others waiting. Lightning stood closest to the door. She turned, surprised to see them. Serah smiled and went over to her. "Lightning." The two hugged each other. Soon, Serah went over and hugged Snow. Lightning looked over and saw Hope standing nearby. He smiled toward her. In returned, she gave a gentle smile back.

Vanille, Sazh, and Fang walked over to them. Vanille stepped over and hugged Hope. "Good! You two are okay." Soon, she went over and hugged Serah as well.

Fang smiled and patted Hope on the shoulder. "You really came through for us."

Hope placed his fingers to his chin. "What I can't figure out is how this happened. Those soldiers that attacked, we had them in a holding cell. It's too late to see from them who let them out. Not only that, but the guy who was leading them Rosch has now gone missing. As much as I don't want to suspect it, it might have been an inside job either from the Guardian Corp or even a member of the Academy." He turned his attention to everyone in the room concerned. "It's getting too dangerous to be here now. We need to go as soon as possible. That was too close of a call and all of us could have gotten killed. For the time being, come to my office while I get things set up. I think this time we'll leave all doors open."

Everyone stepped out of the room into the hallway. When Hope looked over, he noticed that Lightning kept standing in the same spot. He was surprised that she wasn't leaving with the others. "Light-."

Lightning lifted her head to him. "Thanks for looking out for Serah."

A smile curved at his lips. "Of course." Afterwards, things turned quiet. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his head as she continued to stare at him. "Was that… all?"

Lightning stepped over to him. She wrapped her arms underneath his arms. Her hands dug into his shoulders as her head leaned against his shoulder. Afterwards, her eyes closed. Hope was surprised at her at first, but then smiled. In return, he embraced her back. In silence, they both were saying the same thing loud and clear. They both were glad that the other was okay.

"Hey Hope! I was wondering if-." Hope looked over curious to see who was talking and saw that it was Sazh standing in the doorway. Lightning parted from Hope and looked over as well. Sazh looked surprised, thinking that he interrupted something. "I'll…I'll come back when you're not busy." Sazh turned and scratched his head as he walked into the hallway. "I just don't get it. One minute she's threatening him and the next she's glad to see him alive."

In the hall, he walked passed Fang who was leaning on the wall, listening nearby. A smirk came across her face as she closed her eyes. "I knew it."

* * *

Later, Hope got everything prepared to go so that the group could go their separate ways. After preparations were complete, Hope boarded a ship that he would be traveling to Eden. He sat in the driver's seat and started pushing and flipping the controls he needed to start the ship. "Alyssa. I'm taking off now. Make sure that everything that I have set out for the Academy to do in the mean time is being taken care of. The rest of the Guardian Corp will help."

On the ship, Lightning stepped in and went beside Hope. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her walk in and looked surprised. "Light? What are you doing here?"

She took a seat right beside him and crossed her arms. "What do you think? I'm going with you to Eden."

Hearing her response surprised him and at the same time concerned him. "What? No. I told you that you should go with the others somewhere far on Pulse. The Fal'Cie will search all over Pulse to look for you both no matter how they want to find you."

"I'm not going just because I don't want to hide from them anymore. I'm going because after what happened tonight. Who's to say that it wouldn't happen again? Who said that we would be so lucky next time? Besides, I'm also going because of Serah. Tonight they almost took her. I can't let that happen again. Not only that, but I thought you could use some help. You going by yourself still seems like a suicide mission."

"If you go with me, what does that make the mission?"

Lightning shrugged as she held out her hand to the side. "Maybe still suicidal, but the chances are better."

Hope turned his head toward the front. "With you, the chances probably would be better..." His eyes lowered, determined to stick to what he said. "but still you're not going with me."

She arched her eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Because I can't risk you getting caught."

Lightning crossed her legs as she closed her eyes. "And what makes you think I'm getting caught?"

"I don't know but I'm not risking it."

Lightning looked over and seen the determined look on his face mixed with his worry over her. Like him, she was just as determined seeing this come to an end. No longer was she waiting to be caught or killed or keep being hunted down. She would do something about it. "Hope-."

Hope refused to look over at her as he was afraid that he might change his mind. He doubted that he would but just in case. "I'm sorry Light but the answer is still no."

Hearing him say no over and over only brought a smirk to her face. It was funny hearing him tell her what to do. Even as kids, she wasn't one for listening to him. Interested in changing his mind, she stood up. Hope closed his eyes, figuring that she was leaving. He had convinced her to do so. "Thanks Light. I'm glad that you listened to me. I can point you in the direction of the ship that will be taking you to-."

Suddenly, he felt something underneath his chin. He looked up surprised to see that she was standing above him with her fingers gently lifting his head. "I'm going with you whether you like it or not. This is still my fight too."

"But-." He tried to argue against it, but she moved in quickly. There was more than one way to both quiet him and change his mind. Her lips met against his, pulling him into a kiss. While his mouth was open, her tongue slipped in and massaged his. It took a moment for his mind to register what was going on since she caught him by surprise. Soon, he played along with her as he closed his eyes. A moan escaped from his lips. The kiss between them grew intense.

"_Director?"_ Over the intercom, Hope could hear Alyssa's voice calling him. He acknowledged that he should answer, but his body refused to move or stop what he was doing. _"Director? Are you there? Can you hear me?"_

Lightning released him from the trance that she put him in and smiled once she saw his face. "Don't leave without me." She turned and walked away toward the back of the ship.

Hope placed his hand to his head as he closed his eyes. It took a few seconds for his mind to clear from what happened. He looked back toward her. "You're really not helping when you do that."

"_Director?"_

He pressed his finger on the intercom. "Yes Alyssa. I'm still here."

At the back of the ship, Lightning looked curious as she saw the door to the ship open. "Hi!" she heard a cheerful and familiar female voice. Through the door, Serah, Snow, and Mog stepped through.

Lightning crossed her arms. "What are you three doing here?"

Serah smiled despite knowing that Lightning wouldn't agree with what they had to say, but it didn't hurt to ask. "We're going with you."

Instantly, Lightning frowned. "No way."

Over the intercom, Alyssa looked surprised as she could hear their voices in the back ground. She wondered what they were doing there and not on the ship they were assigned to be on.

"But Lightning. We want to help too." Serah pleaded.

Hope turned around in his chair. "No one's going." When he opened his eyes, they were met with the icy glare of a certain pair of blue eyes who thought that she already convinced him that she wasn't taken no for an answer. Instantly, he felt the need to retract his statement and turned around in his chair. "Except Lightning."

Serah looked surprised. "What?! How does she get to go?!"

Lightning headed back to her seat beside Hope. She leaned back in her chair as she crossed her arms. "This is dangerous. It's better if you're some place safer than going to Eden."

Serah's eyes turned to Hope, silently asking for an explanation as to why Lightning was going. Immediately, Hope understood her stare. He still didn't want Lightning going along, but he had given up on stopping her. "Well Serah…I think that Lightning is right. It would be risky having both of you go along. If the Fal'Cie captures even one of you, it could affect how this mission could go."

Serah frowned as she crossed her arms. "Then wouldn't it be safer if we both didn't go at all?" Her glare was somewhat effective and still made him wish that he wasn't caught in the middle of it all, but he knew that the aftermath that he would get from Lightning for changing his mind would be worse than just saying no. "Well…yes but-."

Serah arched her eyebrow. "Then why are you bringing my sister along?"

"Because she knows Eden so she might know some areas that I might not know of and…she's a soldier and I'm already bringing soldiers along. She's someone I can trust-." Throughout his explanation, Serah could hear the uncertainty in his voice. She stepped toward him and leaned against his seat. "My sister already got to you didn't she?"

Hope closed his eyes as he held his head down. "Yes. I was completely against it."

Lightning leaned forward toward them on the armrest of her chair. "It was better that I go anyway not only to help you out, but to stop the Fal'Cie from coming after us and trying to kill us again."

"Then why can't I go?! I want to help stop the Fal'Cie from coming after us too!" Quickly, Serah turned her head to Hope which made him jump. For a second she was upset, but instantly her expression changed to that of sweet and happy. "Besides, it's up to Hope. After all, it was his idea to go to Eden. So what do you say? Can we go to Eden with you too?"

Fear began to rise inside of Hope. His eyes shifted between a pleading Serah and the stern glare of Lightning. In his head, he had to go over his options.

One: he could tell Serah that she could come along, but make Lightning upset.

Two: he could tell Serah that she couldn't go. That would make Lightning somewhat happy, but mostly relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about Serah. Still, Serah would be upset at him.

Three: he could stick to his original plan where neither one of them go and have them both unhappy with his decision.

Instantly, he remembered what happened when he tried to stop Lightning. That didn't work out so well. Even if he said no again, she would probably find some way to get there on her own. Maybe there was another possibility of getting a kiss like that one she gave him only minutes before Serah and Snow showed up, but he doubted that she would try that again. Was there any way to win with Lightning for that matter? His mind started to wander off while Lightning and Serah were starting to get impatient for his answer.

"Hope?!" Serah called out to him.

Hope snapped out of what he was thinking and looked at each of them. Now they both seemed upset at him for just saying nothing. Finally, he sighed. "Work this out amongst yourselves. I'm not deciding this because no matter what I say, someone won't agree."

Serah turned to Lightning, serious. "Listen. I know that you're worried about what could happen and I understand that, but I'll be just as worried about you. If not, even more." Lightning turned her head as she looked down. "I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to take on things by yourself. I know you want to protect me, but why can't someone look after you too? You might not see it, but I have gotten stronger. I can fight as long as I have something to fight with." She looked over at Mog as she smiled. "Right Mog?"

Mog kept flapping his wings beside her, floating in mid-air. "Kupo!"

Snow stepped over beside Serah and placed his hand on her shoulder. "And don't worry. I'll be looking out for her too."

Lightning stood out of her seat and placed her hand against Serah's other shoulder. She sighed as she closed her eyes, hoping that she wouldn't regret this. "Do what I say when things get too tough. Stick close. Do not let your guard down for a second."

Serah's smile grew bigger. She wrapped her arms around Lightning. "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

"Group hug!" Snow was about to hug the two of them, but Lightning pushed him away. Serah moaned sympathetically and hugged Snow herself. This brought a smile to the man's face.

Lightning sat down in her claimed seat at the front of the ship and looked over at Hope as he was getting things ready. "You know I'm going because of you too right?"

Hope looked over confused. "Why?"

"Why do you think? We're getting out of this together alive." Lightning turned her head and looked out of the front window. "If you get killed, then who are they going to look up to? They still need their leader Hope. You're important to them."

"Just to them?" She looked over at him to see a hopeful smile on his face. After a few seconds of thinking of what to say, she gave him an answer. "No. Not just to them."

Hope smiled more, hoping to get a better answer out of her. "Then to who?"

Lightning started to get a little annoyed that he was dragging this out. "Are we taking off or what?"

He wasn't going to let her off that easily. "After I get an answer first."

Lightning sighed with her eyes closed as she leaned her head against her hand. "Fine. I do want to see you come out of this alive."

Hope shook his head as he kept his smile and turned back to the controls. _"You couldn't just give the man a simple answer?"_ Lightning opened her eyes curious. She could have thought that she heard Fang's voice. She looked over toward Hope. "Did you hear that?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah." He looked over toward the controls and looked surprised. _"We can hear you two on the other ship. I was going to see when you would be taking off, but I guess you still need a little more time to get some unfinished business out of the way."_

Hope looked over at Lightning nervously. "Looks like I flipped the wrong switch."

Lightning looked over toward the dashboard. "How long have you been listening?"

"_Long enough to hear why else you're going on this fun little adventure. He couldn't just get a yes out of you could he?"_ Lightning turned her head away, hiding her face as much as she could. Hope leaned forward. It seemed as if she had a slight look of embarrassment as she frowned. One he hadn't seen in a long time. _"Anyway Hope, we're going with you too."_

Hope was surprised to hear Fang say so. "What?"

"_Well since you told us to look out for the two of them and they're going with you, then I guess we have to go too. Besides, princess over there is right. If you're going up against the Fal'Cie, then you're going to need all the help you can get." _

"_We're all in!"_ Vanille cheered over the intercom.

"Sazh?" Hope said wondering if he was there as well.

Soon, Sazh responded. _"I'm along for the ride too. Besides, what I told you earlier, that might be a good place to look for what I'm searching for."_

Hope nodded, understanding. "All right. We'll let you know when we're getting ready to take off."

"_All right!"_ Vanille replied.

Hope cut off the communication between them. Lightning arched her eyebrow. "I see you didn't try to argue against them about going."

"They're on the next ship over so they could take off if they wanted to. Besides, it's like you said. We could use the extra help and we could use Fang's and Vanille's magic if we get hurt. It could be the difference between life and death."

"Hmm…" Lightning relaxed back in her chair, listening to his point.

Gently, Hope smiled more. "You know. Fang has a point. I used to get simpler answers out of you when we were younger."

Lightning sighed as she closed her eyes that he was still on that.

Minutes later, everything was prepared to go. Soon, they took off and headed up from Pulse to Cocoon floating in the sky. When they made it inside of the world of Cocoon, night was already casted over. Hope led the way as Sazh followed driving the second ship behind him and the soldiers that Hope recruited for the mission following in third.

Lightning looked over out of her window to see that were flying over the ocean below. Behind her, Serah and Snow were sitting, growing quiet over the trip as they waited like her to reach their destination. Lightning's eyes traveled over to Hope. "Since when did you learn how to drive a ship?"

A smile came across his face as he glanced over. "What? Surprised that I know how?"

She crossed her arms as she leaned back against her chair. "A little."

"Well I learned it a few years back. Thought it would be useful." Hope leaned forward and looked up out of the window. "Look up there."

Lightning did as he did and gazed up into the sky. From there, she could see Eden shining brightly. "Eden." Soon, her eyes drifted down as she sat back. The place brought up a lot of memories from her childhood up to when she fell from the skies of it. Some of them were good memories, but more of them not so much. She thought that she wouldn't go back there for good, but things had changed.

Suddenly, they felt the ship shake, which they looked surprised and alert. Serah leaned forward. "What's happening?"

Hope looked toward his radar and saw unidentified ships. Again, he felt the ship shake again almost throwing them forward. "We're under attack."

Quickly, Lightning looked over at him. "Do you have something to fight back with?"

"Yes but-." They felt another impact from another blast which shook them again. Behind them, the soldiers that were in the third ship tried their best to dodge the attacks and to fight back, but they suffered too many hits. As a result, it became too much and the ship exploded under the pressure. Inside of the second ship, Sazh, Vanille, and Fang saw the blast from where they were. Vanille placed her hands over her lips. "Oh no!"

Fang gripped onto the back of Vanille's seat that she was standing behind. "Don't start panicking yet! Can't you do anything to avoid ending up like those guys?"

Sazh stayed focused as he stared ahead and gripped on tighter to the wheel. "Yeah! Just hang on you two!" He began turning the ship to help avoid getting hit more.

In front of them, Hope and the others also noticed the explosion from the third ship and started to get a little concerned as well. "They somehow found us." Hope said.

Lightning stood out of her seat and went over to Hope. She grabbed onto the controls. "We can't get hit anymore! Let me take over!" Hope listened and moved aside. Lightning sat down and started maneuvering against the attacks. "Since you know how to get this thing to attack then try fighting back against them."

Hope nodded and began working on the controls. Mog looked over toward Serah. "What do you think is attacking us kupo?"

Lightning kept her eyes focused ahead so that she could avoid crashing into anything. "Probably PSICOM no doubt."

Behind them, the enemy ships kept attacking and hit the ship that Sazh and the others were in. Smoke came out the back of the engines and Sazh started losing control. "Hold on! This is going to get rough!" With one last hit, the ship dived down toward the ground below.

Hope's eyes widened as he looked at his radar. "Oh no! They just shot down the ship Vanille, Fang, and Sazh were in!"

"Then shouldn't we go back for them?!" Snow said concerned.

The ship shook a little more. Lightning gripped tighter onto her controls. "We can't do that! The second we turn around, they'll kill us instantly! You'll just have to hope that they made it." Snow's eyes traveled along toward the ground as he baled his fist. Serah looked worried as well. Lightning managed to dodge another shot. "Hope?! How is it going over there?!"

"Setting up something that will help better protect the ship. I can't get a good shot in otherwise." Above them, the enemy ship attacked again. The shots hit the ship that Lightning and the others were in and went through the metal. Serah and Snow jumped once they heard the loud sound and saw the holes in the ceiling. Hope looked over at Lightning. "Lightning-!"

"It's going as fast as it's can, but they're still keeping up with us!" Soon, the enemy ship fired again but this time with a bigger attack. Lightning tried to dodge it but the blast ended up blowing off the back of the ship. Everyone looked back to see the hole. The effect from the blast ended up tilting the ship downward. Lightning struggled to get the ship evenly distributed and pushed as hard as she could. Serah grabbed onto Mog that was in danger of falling back. "Kupo!"

"Hold on Mog!" The force of the wind was pulling everything toward the hole. Little by little, his hand began to slip from hers until it left her fingers completely. "Kupo!" He flapped his wings as hard as he could, but still felt as if he was being sucked out.

Serah leaned over in her chair and reached for him. "Mog!" She leaned in a little more, but then felt herself slip from her chair. She tried to grab on to the edge of her chair but her hand slipped.

"Serah!" Snow caught her hand before it was too late. "Hold on!" Her hand began to slip out his. She grabbed onto him as tightly as she could.

Lightning looked back, concerned. "Serah!"

Suddenly, the ship suffered another powerful blast which caused a bigger hole then what was already there. Serah slipped out of Snow's hand and fell through as she screamed out. Snow leaned forward, trying to grab her but it wasn't enough. "Serah!" He stood up and ran forward. He jumped down after her.

Lightning turned around in her chair. "Serah-!" The ship they were in started to dive down even more. Hope rushed over and grabbed the controls while Lightning was distracted. Unable to control the ship using the controls, he hovered his body over hers, hoping that it would help when they crashed. Soon, everything for them had turned to darkness.

* * *

_So from one cliffhanger to another... Find out what will happen next time! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update soon!_

_____Also, if anyone is interested, I have announced some new stories coming this summer. You can find more information about them either under my profile near the bottom of the page under "Upcoming Stories Section" or go to the World of FF13 forum and under the "fanfiction" section of that forum with the announcements near the bottom as well. The forum link is also near the bottom of my profile page with a little more information about the stories revealed. Thank you!_


	19. Stranded

_**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story, added this to your favorites and alerts, and sent in reviews! Don't worry. There's no cliffhangers in this chapter. I hope that you will like what happens next!  
_

* * *

_Chapter 19: Stranded:_

A twitch came to Lightning's body as she began to awaken out of her dark abyss. She struggled to regain consciousness, but found it hard to do so. It felt as if another blackout was trying to take over her again. All her body wanted to do was lie against what was hard underneath it and sleep again. Still, she fought against it and forced herself to wake up. She managed to turn her body over onto her side from her stomach. Through her blurry sight, she saw a fire going off of the ship that she was just in. She grunted as she could feel her body in pain and turned on her back. She breathed out, trying to endure the pain. Her head turned and saw a blend of colors that consisted of white and yellow nearby her. When her eyes came a little more into focus, she saw that Hope was lying beside her. He wasn't moving at all. Her eyes squinted as she tried to move, but she couldn't. Neither could her lips moved to call him. Soon, her eyes came to a close as she could feel herself falling back in sleep.

Through her drift between consciousness and unconsciousness, she heard a sound. More, she became aware as the sound seemed familiar and not good. She opened her eyes and looked behind her. There, she saw a few fiends staring at her as if they were ready to attack and catch their next meal. Through her pain, she forced herself onto her elbows and turned to see how many of them were there completely.

There were four pairs of glowing eyes staring at her. Cautiously, Lightning reached behind her trying to grab her gunblade. More, the fiends began to growl and step in closer. She sat up and reached behind her. One moved forward and was about to pounce when they heard a noise. "Hey…! Over here…!"

Lightning looked over surprised to see Hope barely on his arms trying to support himself. Quickly, she pulled out her gunblade and aimed toward them. She shot toward one, but saw that her aim was a little off. She looked surprised, but tried again. The pack rushed over and tried to attack. She managed to shoot one of them dead. One pounced on her knocking her down onto the ground. It tried to bite, but soon was knocked over. It yelped out in pain as it fell onto the ground.

Quickly, Lightning's eyes darted over to see Hope controlling the boomerang. He threw his arm down, forcing the boomerang to come back down and hit the creature. He forced an electro shock out of it and shocked the creature.

Lightning turned her attention back to the other creatures as she changed her gun to its sword counterpart. She stood up and slashed the rest of the fiends. She killed one and wounded the other. The last one limped toward her. She clutched her teeth as she thrust her sword forward and killed the creature. For a few seconds, she rested to catch her breath before she looked over to one of the slain creatures beside her. There, she saw Hope's boomerang and picked it up. She was about to hand it back to him, but saw that he was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. Worried that he passed out again, she struggled to stand up and went over to him. She kneeled down next to him and placed her hand against his back. Lightly, she shook him. "Hope? Hope! Wake up."

Hope groaned as he started to get up by his hands. Lightning rested her arm on her knee. "Are you okay?"

Hope sat up and opened his eyes. "Yeah. Just needed… to get… some rest."

"Good. We should…" Soon, her voice began to fade. Lightning's eyes lowered as she felt lightheaded.

Hope looked surprised that she stopped and started to get worried. "Light? Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." she whispered. She closed her eyes and was about to get up, but soon she fell forward as she started to lose consciousness again. Instantly, Hope reacted and wrapped his arms around her as her body fell against his. "Light!" He brushed her bangs aside to make sure that she had no external injuries to her head. So far, he saw no blood. He looked around and saw that there was no kind of civilization to help.

Carefully, he lifted her up off of the ground, making sure that her head didn't tilt just in case something was wrong. Her head leaned against him as her eyes were still closed. Once he took a step forward, his eyes winced in pain. When he tried putting pressure on his leg, pain coursed through it. The toss outside of the ship was harder than he realized, but someone how they were both still alive. That was the most surprising.

A few feet away from the ship, Hope sat down on the ground. Below him, he could hear Lightning beginning to awake again. Her head rested on his lap. He pulled a flashlight out of his utility belt. He opened her eyes wider than what she had them and used the light to check on them. "You sure you're okay?"

Lightning placed her hand against her head as she closed her eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He moved his finger so that her eyes would follow. "It doesn't seem like you have a concussion or anything. Your coordination's a little off, but you just might be a little disoriented. It will wear off. You should take a second to rest."

"No. We need to keep moving. I'm sure PSICOM will be checking for bodies and Serah's still missing so we need to go and find…" Again, as soon as she tried to sit up, she closed her eyes starting to feel her head getting to her again.

"We'll only stay a few minutes here then we'll decide where to go. Not resting will only make things worse. You can't find her if you still feel the need to pass out. Don't worry. I'm sure that Mog and Snow are with her."

Lightning sighed. As much as she wanted to go, Hope still had a point. Her eyes shifted over and saw his arm out welcoming her to come over. After she took his hand, he slowly pulled her over until her head had stopped against his chest. Worry crossed over her as her mind began to wonder. "We were pretty high up. What if she didn't...make it?"

Hope's hand brushed against her hair and rubbed against her back comfortably. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure that she's okay. We were up just as high and we managed to survive the crash."

"Hmm…" Lightning took comfort in his words and relaxed against him. She couldn't believe it unless she seen it for herself. After some minutes passed, Lightning lifted herself up and sat back. It was tempting not to leave since he felt comfortable to lean against, but they had to move. "Let's go."

Hope was a little concerned, but she seemed a little better. "What do you plan to do next?"

Lightning looked over toward the direction she thought they flew from, but wasn't sure. "We should go and look for Serah and the others." Then, her eyes drifted toward the ground which Hope noticed. "What?"

"I'm sure that PSICOM will be looking at each crash site for survivors. If we actually find where they are-."

"Then it will be a constant battle after battle."

"There's no telling how many soldiers there will be. We don't know how far we are from where they landed. Hmm…"

"We can still go find them or we can find some way to call for help so that they all can be found." Hope stood up along with Lightning. He turned toward the direction that he thought the others were in. "Then we should probably go. I'm not sure where we are though." He looked up toward the sky and saw Eden above them. After thinking about it, he figured out where they were. "We're in the Vile Peaks. If we go toward Eden, then that will lead us to the Gapra Whitewood and from there we can go to Palumpolum."

Lightning placed her hand against her hip. "Your home."

Hope turned toward Lightning. "Listen. We don't know how far we are from Serah or anyone else, but if we look for them on foot while the soldiers are around..."

Lightning's eyes drifted toward the ground. She could tell what he was thinking. "Even if we go back, Serah or any of the others could have already been caught by PSICOM and maybe even already taken to somewhere else. We could be looking for days. If we go to Palumpolum, then maybe we could find something there that we can use to find the others." She closed her eyes as she turned her head. It was a hard decision to make. "As much as I want to find them now, not knowing what we're getting into could be dangerous. No telling how many soldiers, or from what division they're in, or if the others are already gone."

He gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure about this?"

"The two of us running into possibly a whole army could get us killed. Then what good would we be to help anyone? For now, if Serah is still alive, I'll just have to trust that she can fight."

"And Snow is with her." Hope pointed out.

"Hmm…"

Hope smiled a little and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it will be all right." When he started walking off, Lightning looked down and noticed his leg had a limp. She looked surprised. Her hand grabbed onto his arm, stopping him. "What happened to your leg?"

"It's fine." Lightning stepped in front of him, stopping him. Hope looked curious. "What?"

"If we do run into any soldiers, stay behind me. It will give you time to get away just in case you can't run on that leg."

Hope smiled for comfort. "Don't worry. I'm okay. I have your back."

Lightning turned and walked off. "Good."

Hope followed behind. He was a little slower in walking, but he managed to keep up with her as best as he could. Along the way, they came to a tall rock wall. Hope searched around to see if there was another way to get around it. Lightning stepped forward and climbed up to the top without any problem. Hope sighed and started climbing up. Almost toward the top, a rock loosened underneath his foot causing him to lose his footing. He closed his eyes tight, managing to hang on. When he opened his eyes, he saw a hand in front of him. Above him, Lightning was holding her hand out as she was kneeling down. "Come on."

Hope grabbed Lightning's hand and got up there with her help. On the top, he sat in front of her as he caught his breath. "Thanks."

A slight smirk came to her face. "You should get out more instead of sitting in your office all the time Director."

Hope smiled at her joke and relaxed as he sat on the ground. "I haven't been in my office all the time. I've actually done stuff like this before. You're not the only one who's had a little military training."

Lightning became interested. "You were in the military?"

"Not exactly. A while back, there was an assassination attempt on my life. I thought that if it happened again then I might not be so lucky next time. I still remembered that I had your gunblade and I had my boomerang so why not use them? I trained under one of the soldiers."

Lightning closed her eyes as she smiled. "I was wondering. I was surprised the first time you actually fought against me. Why did you do it?"

Hope shrugged. "When we first met again, it seemed that all you wanted to do was fight so I guess I was interested to see how much better you got. I know when I saw you last years ago you were still practicing with your gunblade."

"I could have killed you back then."

"You almost did." He pulled out the gunblade he carried from behind him and looked down at it. Soon, he held it out in front of her. "Here."

Lightning looked down at it curiously before she lifted her eyes to him. "What?"

"I've been waiting a long time to give this back to you. I've modified it to be carried by an adult and added a few changes for better shooting accuracy and a sharper cut."

She stared at the gunblade. "I can't."

He looked surprised. "But it was the one I made for you years ago. It's still yours. I wanted to give this back to you."

"What will you fight with?"

Hope smiled. "I still have my boomerang." Lightning took a few seconds to debate before she reached out her hands and took the gunblade from him. Her eyes stared at the shiny metal and the inscription of her old name still carved on it. It was definitely different than before. Her fingers traced against her name, remembering when she used to be called Claire. "The name that's on it is what it's called. There was only one ever made just like its owner."

Lightning lifted her head up to see the smile on his face. After a few seconds, she stood up and looked forward to see if they were any closer to Gapra Whitewood. They seemed as if they were a far way off. She reached back into her carrier and pulled out her gunblade that she carried with her always. She held it out in front of Hope. "Here. We'll make a trade. I could use your shooting just in case."

Hope took the weapon from her hand. It felt a bit heavier than what he was used to, but it was something that he could get used to. "You could use my shooting?"

She looked back at him. "You're actually not a bad shot." Hope smiled as he closed his eyes. He packed it away at his side. When he turned his head, he saw Lightning hold out her hand as a gesture that she would help him up. "Next time I might let you have a rematch." He smiled and took her hand. He stood up and they climbed back down on the other side.

Through the Vile Peaks, they continued walking. Along the way, they ran into a few fiends and robotic enemies. They managed to avoid some battle, but others they fought quickly without injury.

Later, they came to a bridge. Lightning crossed over first. Behind her, she noticed that Hope was beginning to trail behind and wondered if his leg was getting worse. When he made it to the bridge, his leg that was in pain had tripped against the edge. He fell forward and landed on his hands and knees, feeling the pain build up from his leg. He sighed out, trying to subdue what he felt. Lightning stopped in place and turned her head back slightly. "This isn't working."

Hope lifted his head. "What are you talking about?"

Lightning turned around to him. "At this point, you'll be nothing but liability."

"Wow! Thanks." Hope thought it was a little harsh of her to say so. He stood up and walked over toward her. "I know that I'm going a little slow but-."

Lightning threw his arm around her shoulder to help take some of the pressure off of his leg. "Still, it's not like I can leave you here. We need to figure out what's wrong with your leg before it gets worse. Lean on me and try not to walk on it too much." They walked forward and made it across the bridge. A few steps away, she helped to sit Hope down on the ground. There, she began touching his leg to see if any pain was caused just from putting a little pressure on it. "Does that hurt?"

"No." he answered.

Lightning grabbed onto his leg and forced it to bend. She noticed his facial reaction as he closed his eyes tight and breathed out. "Where's the pain now?"

Hope held his hand against the upper part of his thigh. "There." Since Hope could still walk, she doubted that it was dislocated. It was probably something that needed some time to get over. "This was a good idea. For us to rest like this."

Lightning closed her eyes. "No. We need to keep going. I just wanted to make sure that nothing was seriously wrong with your leg." She was about to stand up, but Hope grabbed onto her arm. "Wait! So far we haven't ran into any soldiers around. This would be the best time to rest just in case we do end up running into some." Lightning stared at the concerned look on his face. He reached his hand up and placed it against the side of her face. "Besides, you look tired. I know at the Academy you didn't get time to rest."

Her thumb ran against his cheek underneath the bottom of his eye. "It doesn't look like you've been getting much sleep either. Still, I didn't get much sleep because of you."

A smile came to Hope's face as he looked surprised. "What did I do? You were the one who kept coming to my office. You came there like three times during the night."

Lightning sat down on the ground between his legs and leaned back against him. Her eyes closed as her arms crossed. "Yeah because of something you did." Hope relaxed as things turned quiet. After a few minutes, Hope leaned up which Lightning noticed and looked back. She wondered what was going on. "What-?"

Hope removed his belt from his waist and shoulder and laid it beside him. Afterwards, he removed his jacket and sat back as he placed the jacket over Lightning. She turned and looked at him. "This isn't the time to be sleeping you know."

"I know. I just figured if it gets any colder than we can use this to help with warmth."

Lightning took some time to think whether it was a good idea before she lied back against him and closed her eyes. Her head leaned comfortably against the upper part of his chest near his shoulder. Hope could still use the time to stay off his leg and they would be alert and ready just in case anyone found them. "Just don't fall asleep."

His arms wrapped around her underneath his jacket. "I won't."

As he said that, something she remembered crossed her mind. It concerned her a little and she didn't show her concern to him. "Do you really not sleep that much?" she asked softly.

Hope became curious as to what brought up the question. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard that…you were busy working all of the time. Sometimes, you don't even sleep."

Lightly Hope scratched his head with his eyes closed. "Well there's always something to do with the Academy." Apart of him thought that there was something else behind her question. "But…for a while it was hard to sleep after what happened in Eden and I hadn't been able to sleep right. I did keep myself busy because I was searching all around Cocoon so it would give me some kind of clue as to what happened to you. Since no one could find a body, I thought there was still a chance. When I heard nothing, I kept myself busy with other stuff so that I wouldn't drive myself crazy."

As he was talking, Lightning was staring forward listening. Along with his voice, she could feel his heart beating in his chest. Her eyes lowered, hearing everything that he went through. She had no idea how much her disappearance had affected him. Soon, his expression turned curious. "Where have you been all this time anyway?"

"In Bodhum on Cocoon. After we fell from Eden, somehow Serah and I landed on this ship so we waited it out until it landed and it ended up landing in Bodhum. There, we found a friend of my father's who I knew was staying there. He was always a part of the Guardian Corp. Right now, he's a lieutenant." Soon, Lightning sat up still keeping the coat around her. Her arms wrapped around her legs as she thought back. "It was a big risk, but thanks to him I was able to join the Guardian Corp by the time I was fifteen and started taking care of Serah on my own."

Hope looked confused. "How were you able to join the Guardian Corp by fifteen? The age for you to join is-."

"We lied about my age. Instead of my real name, we used the name that I have now Lightning. We kept it a secret. Not letting the others know that my last name was Farron. I mainly stayed by the side of the lieutenant because we couldn't risk the Fal'Cie finding us either and…" Her eyes traveled back to him with a hint of regret in them. "I told him not to tell you that I was still alive." Through his face, she saw the same hurt he had before when she told him that she didn't want him to find her. "Are you mad?"

Hope stared down toward the ground. Mad wasn't the right word, but he would get over it. "No. At least then, you were okay. Maybe things were better that way. You hid yourself from everyone even the Fal'Cie. Look what they're trying to do now."

"Maybe things weren't. I only stayed away because I thought that you had something to do with killing my mother."

Hope stared forward at her. "And do you still believe I had something to do with it?"

Her eyes stared back. Slightly, she shook her head. "No." Inside, he was relieved to hear that. Still, he wished that they didn't spend years apart. "I'm…" He lifted his head once he heard her voice. Lightning was staring toward the ground. "I'm sorry about what happened." she whispered.

"It's okay." Hope assured her. His eyes shifted toward the side. "So this whole time you've been in Bodhum… We keep very few soldiers up there."

"I was a part of the security regiment."

"It's still dangerous leaving soldiers from the Guardian Corp there, but we have no other way to see what the Fal'Cie is up to since they banned us from Cocoon."

"Not a lot of PSICOM soldiers were around Bodhum. They pretty much think that nothing happens there, but ever since the Purge they've been showing up everywhere."

Hope placed his hand against his knee as he looked down. "Yeah. They're killing people for no reason."

"Then why don't we just take down Eden?"

Hope looked surprised by her suggestion. "Are you suggesting that we take down their government?"

"Maybe it's the only way to save anyone."

He held his head down. "I don't know. Some people might not agree taking over their government. That wouldn't make us any better than they are."

"Still the Academy would be better in control than the Fal'Cie."

Hope smiled a little. "Thanks. I think that if things were to happen as planned, you would have been a great leader as well."

Lightning was a little taken aback by what he said. She knew that if she was in control, that things could be at peace between both worlds like it was before. When she looked over, she saw Hope with his eyes closed as if he was sleeping. Her mind began to debate her decision about their previous contract before she pushed the thoughts aside and leaned against him with her eyes closed. She spread his jacket over both of them. For a few minutes, she would close her eyes, but she kept herself alert.

As time had passed, both of them fell asleep, tired. Nearby, some soldiers that were searching along spotted them. Silently, they signaled each other over to approach them. "Hey! Hey! Wake up!"

There was a slight shift when Lightning moved her body but she kept her eyes closed. The soldiers looked at each other. "What do we do now? These are the two we're looking for right?"

"I say that if they don't move soon, then we should-."

Suddenly, they heard a loud sound and a grunt from a soldier nearby. They looked to see that one soldier that came along with them was lying on the ground. No longer did the soldier's body move. Quickly, Lightning threw Hope's jacket aside. Behind it was her gunblade. She shot all of the soldiers that came and all of them fell on the ground. She stood up and closed her eyes. She rubbed the side of her head.

"So much for getting sleep these days." Behind her, Hope stretched as he yawned.

Lightning looked back. "I thought I told you not to fall sleep."

Hope opened his eyes, still tired. "I thought you weren't supposed to either." Lightning turned silent. Maybe she was more tired than she realized since she didn't remember falling asleep at all. Hope rubbed his head, figuring that his work was finally catching up to him on his lack of sleep. "We better go before more show up. Soon, others will catch up to us. We need to be one step ahead."

Hope nodded. "Yeah." They started walking.

When Lightning looked over, she noticed that Hope wasn't limping as much. He was actually keeping up with her. "It looks better."

Hope looked down. "Yeah. It's feeling better. It doesn't hurt as much. I guess sleep really did help."

Lightning was glad to hear so. As they walked, her mind traveled back to their previous conversation about the government in Eden and what he said. Maybe if the government were taken over by the Academy it would cause an uprising where as if she took over like what was planned all of that could be avoided. Was it really the right thing to do? Through it all, she knew one thing. If she took over, she knew that she would have Hope helping her.

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_That's it for this chapter! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update soon!_


	20. Changes

_**Author's Notes:** Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the story, added this to your favorites and alerts, and sent in reviews! I really appreciate all of it! I hope that you will enjoy this chapter!_

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_Chapter 20: Changes:_

It took some time on their journey, but Hope and Lightning went through the Vile Peaks and made it to the Gapra Whitewood. They saw the doors close behind them and then looked forward to see where they would go next. Lightning's eyes traveled over to Hope. "You doing okay?"

He nodded and started walking as he looked around. "We have to be careful here and keep moving."

Lightning stepped over beside him. "Right. We should keep going."

His lips curved into a little smile. "Actually, I was wondering if I could take lead."

Inside, the request surprised her a little. "Really?"

"I've been here before so I know a little about the area."

Lightning placed her hand against her hip. "I've been here too, but if you really want to take lead, then I'll watch your back."

In response, Hope nodded and began walking ahead of her. At one point, as they traveled through the facility, he began to slow down as his eyes searched up toward the sky. Lightning noticed and stopped beside him confused. "What-?"

His expression changed to concern. "We need to hide." Quickly, he grabbed her hand and pulled her underneath some of the huge leaves nearby. Above them, cycles were flying by that belonged to PSICOM. Hope watched as they left from where they were. "I'm surprised that they're already here looking for us too."

"PSICOM is everywhere on Cocoon. Not only because of the Purge, but to keep on the lookout for us as well."

Hope looked back at Lightning. "Then we better be careful with what we do and hope that the others are safe."

Lightning nodded. Both of them stepped out from underneath the leaves, her hand still wrapped in his. Her eyes traveled down to their hands as Hope was standing, looking around to make sure that it was safe to move. He didn't seem to notice that he was holding her hand. On the inside, she smiled as it reminded her of a time in the past. "Are you having fun?"

Hope arched his eyebrow as he looked back. "What-?"

Lightning held up their hands so that he could see that he was still holding onto hers. A little nervous, he separated his hand from hers. A faint smile came to her face as she saw the cute, little expression he made and walked passed him. They continued traveling through until they made it to the ground below. There, they noticed that certain parts of the areas were blocked off by electric fences. "It's a little dangerous going through here."

"You mean because of the experimented creatures through here? Have you tried something like this at the Academy?"

"No. We mainly catch creatures for research to put into a database. Afterwards, if we don't need them, we set them back into the wild. We need to figure out some way to get pass these fences or shut them down." Hope stepped closer toward the fences as he tried to think of a way out. Lightning looked up and then climbed over the rocks to get over. She jumped down on the other side of the fence from him. Hope was surprised. She made the answer seem a little easier than thinking about it. "I guess that's one way." Then, his eyes shifted over and saw a creature approaching behind her. Instantly, concern took over. "Light! Behind you!"

Lightning turned around and saw the creature heading her way. Quickly, she took out her gunblade and shot toward it, but it would not die so easily. Then, she saw a boomerang hit the creature and knocked it down on the ground. When Lightning looked over, she saw that it wasn't moving. She turned around and looked above to see Hope kneeling on the rocks above her. He jumped down nearby her. "You okay?" In response, Lightning nodded. "Good. We should try and avoid these creatures if we can."

Afterwards, they took off. They got into a few fights, but managed to avoid some of the others. Toward the end of their last gate, they fought against a creature that unleashed a poison gas. It was hard to fight against the creature, but they managed to defeat it. After the battle, Lightning sat on the ground. She coughed a little as she felt the poison get to her body. Hope pulled a bottle out of his utility belt. He held out his hand. "Here. Drink this. It'll make it stop."

Lightning took the bottle and drunk from it. Afterwards, she made a sound of disgust. Hope took the bottle for himself and drunk the rest she didn't. He closed his eyes tight as he swallowed hard. It wasn't the best tasting to him as well. She opened her eyes. "What was that stuff?"

"An antidote for poison. Some of these creatures have the ability to poison, so just in case, I carry this if we run into such creatures."

Lightning rested her arm on top of her knee. "You're just prepared aren't you?"

Hope gave a nervous grin. "I try to be." He stood up and held out his hand. "Let's keep going. We should be out of here soon."

Lightning nodded and took his hand. He pulled her up a little too fast and she ended up bumping against him. She lifted her head as he stared down at her. For a few seconds, they stood close to each other. It was a little tempting to move in closer, but she turned away from him. "Thanks."

They began walking off and made it toward the end. Hope smiled in relief that they got through it. He stepped outside of the facility. Across the ocean, he could see the town of Palumpolum. "We made it."

Afterwards, they traveled over and made it to the port. They hid behind one of the crates as they could see PSICOM soldiers already there guarding the area. "Great." Lightning muttered. "If we try to get by them, it'll just end up causing a scene. Then, they'll know we're here."

"Not exactly." Hope pointed forward. "You see those tunnels over there?"

Lightning was a little confused as to where he was going with this. "Yeah?"

"I used to play inside of them all the time as a kid. I could guide us through them easily."

Lightning couldn't argue with that plan. They could sneak deeper into Palumpolum without being seen at least for now. "Lead the way then."

Hope waited for the right moment before he sneaked over to the next crate. Once the soldiers weren't looking, he waved to Lightning as a signal to come over. She listened and followed him. They got through, moving from crate to crate and made it into the tunnels.

Along the way underground, Lightning became curious when she noticed a large glowing machine floating in the air. Her feet came to a stop. "What is this?"

Hope stopped in beside her. "I learned about this in school. This is a part of the Fal'Cie. It provides food for the people of Cocoon."

Lightning was surprised to hear so. "Wait. This thing actually provides food."

"It is alive. If we destroyed this, this would cut off all of Cocoon's food supply."

"That would give the people another reason to riot and hate Pulse even more."

"The Fal'Cie would just blame this on us."

Lightning continued to stare up. "For years, I thought that Cocoon was just run by people, not… things like these."

"There's more than one non-human Fal'Cie supporting Cocoon. You just haven't seen them."

Lightning placed her fingers to her chin. "If Cocoon depends on this then what does the Academy and Pulse depend on?"

"Naturally grown food. It is possible contrary to what the Fal'Cie makes others believe. Here on Cocoon, they take care of people as if they were pets. You can't survive without them."

"But that's been proven wrong. We don't have to. We've all have been so blind this whole time. I wondered if my parents knew the whole time."

"They probably did."

Lightning pressed her hand against her chest as she held her head down. How could she not know that they had been dependent on something like this the whole time? At the blink of an eye, everything could change if the Fal'Cie wanted it to and she wouldn't know what caused it before learning this.

"Let's go." She looked over, hearing Hope beside her. She nodded. "Right. Eventually soldiers will find these tunnels if they haven't already." They continued walking through the underground facility.

Eventually, Hope stopped and sat on a step on the floor. Lightning was still looking around before she stopped in front of him. "Stopping already?"

"Only for a little. I'm trying to figure out the best route to get to my house so we can avoid the soldiers." Lightning sat beside him. Her eyes lowered to the ground. Hope looked over, noticing. "Are you still worried?"

"A little." she answered.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't get here faster."

Lightning lifted her head as she stared forward. "It's all right." Her mind traveled back to what happened when she found out that Serah was taken as a part of the Purge. "I should have listened to her." she whispered.

Hope overheard her and wondered what she was talking about. "What?"

"Serah. She was right about everything even years later."

"About what?" he asked curiously.

"I didn't believe her when she thought that soldiers were after her. I didn't think about the Purge reaching us, but she was taken. Yet, Snow was the only one who believed her. I guess I didn't want to face the possibility of our past coming back to haunt us." Hope's eyes traveled toward the ground. He wasn't sure exactly what started the Purge. He was afraid it was because the Fal'Cie wanted a guaranteed separation between Cocoon and Pulse, and force people to each stay on either side. They were putting fear in people by spreading lies and killing them. Lightning sat back on her hands. "I guess she was right about one other thing."

Hope left his thoughts and looked over. "About what?"

"After we first got to Bodhum, I was ready to throw away this." In her hand, she held the necklace that he had given her. "But Serah convinced me not to. Back then, she was the only one who never doubted that you betrayed us. I wish I could have listened to her back then just like I wished I listened to her now."

Hope looked away. "Everyone makes mistakes. I know I have a share of my own."

"And what mistakes have you made?" After everything that happened between the two of them, even if he made a few small mistakes, she couldn't see him making a big one.

"We're all human. That's what I'm trying to say."

"You're right." She held her head down as she was thinking about something else he asked her before. "After we went to Bodhum, I felt as if I needed to leave the past behind. I needed to find some way to change who I was. I had to become strong for Serah so I changed my name to Lightning. Lightning flashes bright and then fades away. Since I didn't want anyone knowing who I was, I could be there one second and not be there the next. No one would know."

"I think that you're wrong about one thing."

Lightning looked over, curious. "What's that?"

"Yes you are stronger now, but I always thought who you used to be was strong as well. It's not easy just picking up a gun when danger comes for you and you just face it head on. You changed because of what happened to you, not because you wanted to." Hope looked over at her. "I still see a little of that girl I used to know and it's not a bad thing. Back then, you used to tell me when something was bothering you, but now you hide it." He scratched his head as he smiled nervously. "I guess I miss when you used to let me in. I wanted to be someone you could lean on and I… still do."

Lightning's eyes went from his toward the ground. She thought about everything he said. Soon, she stood up.

Hope closed his eyes, thinking that maybe saying that didn't help. Suddenly, he felt a punch to the arm. It didn't hurt, but it did push him somewhat. "What was that for?"

Lightning placed her hand on her hip. "That was really cheesy." For a second, he saw a brief smile from her before she took off walking. Hope caught up beside her and they started walking together. Little did he know that she still kept the words he said in her mind.

They made it toward the elevator and went up to the top floor. When they walked outside, they saw that they were in a stadium. They looked around until they heard the sound of footsteps getting closer. A spotlight shined down on them. When they looked up, they saw ships above them. Lightning and Hope stepped back, getting closer until they were back to back. There were a lot of soldiers outnumbering them and pointing guns toward them. Lightning pulled out her gunblade. "So much for sneaking in here."

Hope pulled out his boomerang going to that as his first line of defense. "You think that if we attack back, they'll kill us both?"

"Probably. They don't need both of us alive. If we don't fight, they'll probably just take us both in."

Hope sighed. "So much for us getting out of here."

"Just be careful."

He glanced over behind him. "You too." They got ready to attack as the soldiers got ready to attack.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a loud motor. Out of nowhere, soldiers started falling on the ground. "Oh yeah!" Hope and Lightning looked over hearing the familiar voice. On a cycle, they saw Snow driving while Serah was sitting behind him, shooting arrows at the soldiers. Lightning took advantage of the distraction and began shooting soldiers. Hope looked back to see that she already took off. He ran off in the opposite direction and began fighting as well. Snow knocked down some of the soldiers with his cycle and stopped in the middle of the stadium. Serah kept shooting from where she was. Snow grabbed her hand. "Come on! Can't stay in one spot for too long!"

Serah nodded and took off running along with him. Nearby, Lightning was slashing soldiers with her sword when she heard a familiar voice call out for her. "Lightning!"

Lightning looked back and saw some of the soldiers around her began to fall. Serah caught up with her. A look of relief came on Lightning's face. "Serah." Soon, the moment was interrupted when they saw more soldiers coming after them. Lightning grabbed Serah's hand and ran forward toward the exit of the stadium. Lightning turned and shot some of the soldiers that were following them.

On the other side of the stadium, Hope was still fighting against the soldiers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a soldier fall down beside him. He looked over surprised and saw Snow standing nearby with his fist pounding into his hand. "Need a hand?"

"Sure."

After getting rid of the soldiers near them, Lightning lifted her head to see Hope and Snow still fighting inside of the stadium. She was about to rush back in to help, but more soldiers landed in front of her. "If we keep fighting them, they'll just call more reinforcements."

Serah clutched tightly onto her bow and shot toward them. Lightning helped and defeat the few left standing in front them. Hope and Snow ran over toward them, but then saw the door closing down on them from the exit. All four of them looked surprised. Hope looked over toward Lightning and Serah. "Go! Don't let them catch you!" Even if they ran for it, they wouldn't have been able to make it to the door. Lightning debated if they should. "Go!" Hope shouted again.

Serah looked over toward Lightning worried. "We can't let them be trapped in there!"

Lightning nodded. "Right." She was about to run in when the door closed in front of them. She pressed her hand against the door.

"They locked us out." Serah said worried.

"We'll just have to hope that they can make it out. In the meantime, I'm sure there are more soldiers around. We need to lose them tracking us."

Serah looked toward the ground. She didn't want to run away yet, but she wasn't sure what else they could do for now. Soon both of them took off running.

* * *

_That's it for this chapter! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update!_


	21. We Will Meet Again

_**Author's Notes:** Hi everyone! Thank you for waiting for the next update of the story. It has been a while. __I'm sorry that I haven't given a heads up about not updating for a while in this story._

_Thank you for all the reviews that were sent in, and adding this to your favorites and alerts! I hope that you will like this chapter! _

* * *

_Chapter 21: We Will Meet Again: _

Inside of the stadium while Hope and Snow had a break from the soldiers, Snow pointed upwards toward the top of the stadium. "Since they blocked us in, we'll just have to figure another way out."

Hope lifted his head up toward the ships. "We better go soon before they start attacking."

Snow waved his hand as he was getting ready to run. "Let's go!"

They went up the stadium stairs and ran up toward the top. The ships from above started attacking, but missed them. They made it up to the top where there was a hallway. Along the way, they ran into a few soldiers, but fought and stopped them. They managed to make it outside of the stadium where they caught a break and there were no soldiers around. After catching his break, Hope stood up straight. By now, there was no telling how far Lightning and Serah had went. All he could hope was that they were okay. His eyes traveled toward the ground, wondering if there was some way he could know for sure. He glanced back toward Snow. "We better keep going."

Snow was concerned. "What about Serah and Light?"

Hope's eyes traveled toward the ground as he carried a thought in his mind. "I have an idea to see if they're okay. If it doesn't work, I think I know where they would go next." Hope took off walking and Snow followed behind. They made it outside of town where the area was clear and there were mainly houses around. They stopped in an alleyway to stay hidden out of sight. Hope slowed down his steps as he pulled out his communicator. It wouldn't be long that they could talk since PSICOM was still searching for them, but he wanted to make sure that Serah and Lightning were all right. Curiously, Snow looked over. "What are doing?"

In a tunnel way where there was water flowing from nearby, Lightning and Serah were walking with Mog flying beside Serah without being seen or followed. Suddenly, Lightning felt something vibrate against her. When she reached into her pouch and read who had contacted her, her eyes widened a little in surprise. She leaned against the wall and answered the phone. She remained silent at first to make sure that it wasn't a trap. Soon, she heard the male voice on the other line. _"Listen. We don't have long to talk, but I wanted to let you know that we're both okay."_

Lightning decided to act on her suspicion. "How do I know-?"

"_Earlier we were just in the tunnels in Palumpolum. You told me why you changed your name."_

Lightning closed her eyes as she sighed. "Good. Both of you are okay."

"_Are you two okay?"_ Hope asked concerned.

"Yes we're fine." Lightning answered.

Hope was relieved to hear that. _"Good. You know where to go?"_

She nodded. "Yeah."

Hope smiled a little. It seemed that their minds were in sync like he hoped. _"Then I'll see you there."_

Both of them hung up hoping that PSICOM did not try to tap in, but they were sure that they got off in time for the soldiers not to catch their signals. Lightning put away her communicator and glanced back toward Serah. "Let's go."

Serah began to follow behind Lightning along with Mog. "Where are we going?"

"If Hope and I were thinking the same thing, then we're heading to a place that you know about too."

* * *

After Hope placed away his phone, he began walking off. Snow looked surprised. Hope's and Lightning's conversation was quick and they didn't really say much as far as a plan. Snow followed behind him. He caught up with Hope and gave him a curious look. "So…? What's going on? I take it you talked to Light?"

"Yeah. Both she and Serah are safe. We're going to meet them."

Snow scratched his head a little. "Where…exactly?"

Hope pointed upwards. "Toward my old house. Light knows where it is. We can see it from here."

Snow placed his hands on his sides. "Well that's good. Let's go then."

Hope nodded and began walking off as Snow followed behind.

* * *

Serah, Lightning, and Mog walked further into the tunnel and came out into an alleyway. They peeked around the corner from where they were standing. From there, they could see a crowd of people gathered around along with a few PSICOM soldiers standing with guns ready. "Now what kupo?"

Carefully, Lightning observed the area, trying to think of their best option. "I don't know any other way out. We'll just have to blend in. You ready?"

Serah nodded. "Right." She held out her hands for Mog to come to her so that they could pretend that he was a doll. She carried him in her arms as she and Lightning walked out into the crowd. Cautiously, they looked around to make sure that no one was following them. Mog stared ahead. "It's kind of nice not having to walk kupo."

Lightning glanced at him and shushed him so that he wouldn't give away that he wasn't a doll. Serah looked down at him and smiled. They stepped through without people noticing except for one. An older man saw them walking through. Instantly, he reacted with surprise. He reached inside of his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper. His eyes widened more. He rushed through the crowd to catch up with them. When he made it, he quickly grabbed onto Lightning's arm. On edge, she pulled her arm away afraid that a soldier had caught her, but was surprised to see the gray haired man in front of her. "Can I… help you?"

The man gave a big smile and held a clipping from an article in his hand. "Fal'Cie Princess! You're still alive!"

Lightning's eyes widened a little at the fact that someone had recognized her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."

The man stepped closer hopeful as Serah and Lightning took a step back. "It is you! Both of you! You're still alive! You've come to save us from the Purge!" Lightning and Serah looked at each other. Lightning wanted to leave before they drew more attention, but it was too late. The man's cheerful shouting began to draw a crowd. At first, a few people didn't believe the man, but he sounded sure and convinced others that he was right with his words and the clipping of the paper he had with their picture. The people surrounded Serah and Lightning.

A woman placed her hand on Serah's arm and had a look of relief and joy. "You're both still alive! Thank goodness!"

"Help us stop the Purge!"

"Save us!"

"Stop the soldiers from killing us!"

The people moved in as close as they could. The begging for help began to overwhelm Lightning. She grabbed Serah's arm and stepped back away from the crowd. "We can't help."

After hearing that, the crowd grew silence and started to get worried. The same older man stepped forward and smiled. "You can help us! You can stop the Purge! You can stop us from dying! Save us please princess! Please!"

Lightning's eyes drifted toward the side. Could she really help them? "Hey! What's going on over there?!" Everyone looked over to see a few soldiers approaching.

Lightning pulled Serah aside. "We need to go."

A worried look came across Serah's face. "What about these people here?"

Serah made a point. They couldn't just leave them there to be killed. The soldiers made their way through the crowd and came to Lightning and Serah. They were surprised to see them there. "Those two! They're the ones we're after!"

The man that discovered them stepped in front of the soldiers and held out his arms. "No! You can't take them!"

The soldiers pushed the man aside onto the ground. "Stay out of the way."

Upset with the actions that the soldiers took, Lightning decided that she would do something about it. "Everyone! Go now! Get away from here! Go!" The people listened and ran off. Lightning pulled out her gunblade and attacked the soldiers. She knocked all of them down onto the ground. Afterwards, she held out her hand in front of the man. He took her help and stood up. "Thanks for your help, but next time let us handle the standing up part."

The man smiled as he closed his eyes. "Thank you. Just please. Help us stop this Purge. If anyone can stop it, you can."

Serah stepped over concerned. "Just make sure that you get somewhere safe."

The man nodded. "It was nice seeing both of you well again."

Lightning and Serah watched as the man walked off. Lightning thought about his words until she turned and began walking. "We should go."

Serah looked over concerned, but then caught up with Lightning. "What should we do?"

"If PSICOM decides to bring more soldiers here, then we can't take on their whole army. We'll just have to hope that everyone will make it out safely."

Serah sighed as her eyes drifted down. She wished there was something more they could do. They continued walking and went outside of town. The orange glow from the sunset was filling everywhere against the walls and buildings. Lightning gazed up to see how far they were from Felix Heights where Hope used to live. They still had a long way to go.

"Hey!" Both Serah and Lightning looked over to see someone run toward them waving. Instantly, they both reacted with surprise. The person placed their hands on their knees as they tried to catch their breath. Serah stepped over toward them. "Alyssa? Right?"

Alyssa stood up straight and smiled. "Yes."

Lightning became suspicious. Hope couldn't have already called for help. "What are you doing here?"

Alyssa placed her hands together in front of her. "I'm here to help."

Lightning arched her eyebrow. She had a feeling that Alyssa was there more than just to "help". "How did you know we were here?"

"At the Academy, we were tracking the Director's ship and saw that it crashed. We followed the signal of the ship and since we couldn't find anyone, I figured the next place the Director would go to."

Still Lightning didn't trust her statement. How was she able to find them so fast, and why hadn't anyone from the Guardian Corp shown up with her yet? She couldn't have just come by herself especially being a member of the Academy. PSICOM would have captured her by now or killed her since the Academy was banned on Cocoon. "Serah. Let's go." Lightning turned and walked the other way.

Serah looked surprised along with Mog. She didn't understand why Lightning wouldn't accept Alyssa's help. "But Lightning-?"

Lightning stopped and looked back. "I said that we need to go now."

Serah was concerned, but followed behind Lightning. Alyssa was surprised that they were leaving. "Hey! Where are you going?! I'm here to help you!"

Lightning looked back. "I highly doubt that." Alyssa frowned as she saw Lightning leave. Behind her, Lightning could hear the sound of footsteps. When she turned around, she saw PSICOM soldiers behind her with guns pointed. They stood behind Alyssa. "I see. So you're the one who's been telling them where we are."

Alyssa didn't answer, but only stared at her. "Come on! You're coming with us!" one of the soldiers shouted.

Lightning pulled out her gunblade and attacked them. Mog turned into a bow for Serah and she attacked them with arrows. Alyssa ducked from the attacks flying in between with her hands on top of her head. Serah and Lightning managed to hit all of the soldiers. In the end, they were all lying on the ground. Lightning pointed her gunblade toward Alyssa who looked worried. "Don't you care anything at all about what you're doing? You're Hope's assistant."

Alyssa got distressed as she closed her eyes tight. "This is your fault because you came back! I wouldn't have to do this! The Director would have protected me from the Purge, but because of you, he felt the need to go to Eden! He couldn't leave it alone or let you be taken! He even risked his life so that you wouldn't die! He wasn't supposed to save you from the explosion that was supposed to happen! He was supposed to let you be killed by the soldiers that attacked the Academy!"

Lightning's eyes widened as she came to a realization. "The bomb that was planted..."

Alyssa became angry. "Yes." First, she pointed to Serah. "The soldiers were just supposed to take you…" Her finger moved over and pointed to Lightning. "…but destroy you." With her hands shaken, she reached at her side and pulled out a gun. She pointed it toward Lightning, but it was hard to aim since her hands kept moving. Never before had she had to kill someone. "Where is he? Where's the Director?"

Lightning kept her eyes locked on her, not afraid of what she would do. "I don't know."

Alyssa looked angrier. "Where is he?!"

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

Serah was worried as she glanced between Lightning and Alyssa. "Please Alyssa! Stop this! Hope can protect you if you help him stop the Fal'Cie!"

Alyssa pressed her teeth together. "Not as long as she is around. Now tell me where he is or I will shoot!" Lightning frowned more. She wasn't going to give into Alyssa's demands nor did she think that Alyssa was going to carry through on her threat. With no time to waste, Lightning turned and started walking away. Getting impatient, Alyssa went for it and fired. Hearing the loud sound and feeling it near, Serah closed her eyes as she moved toward the side and screamed.

"Serah!" Quickly, Lightning looked and fired back. Alyssa's eyes widened. Her eyes traveled down toward the wound that was at her chest. She then fell down onto the ground along with the other soldiers they fought. Lightning placed her hands on Serah's shoulders and checked on her. "Are you okay?"

Serah nodded a little as she was rattled still. "Yes. The shot just scared me a little. I didn't think she would actually shoot."

Lightning glanced at the scene before she looked over at Serah and Mog. "We need to get going before more show up."

Both Serah and Mog nodded. "Right."

* * *

Hope and Snow made their way through the residence and were high up on one of the buildings. Snow looked over at one of the advertising billboards. "A great place for family living huh? Could be something to check into." Snow smiled and looked over at Hope who was staring over the city. He seemed serious, but somewhat concerned. "Hey! They'll be all right."

Hope left from his thoughts and looked over. "What?"

Snow went over and patted him against the shoulder. "So you used to live here right?"

Hope turned more toward him. "Yeah."

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah. You said something about family. Do you have family here?"

"Nope! Growing up, I was an orphan, but someday in the future I hope to have big family."

"With Serah?"

"Of course!" Snow walked over to a drink machine nearby. "You want anything?"

"Not really."

Snow grabbed a drink out of the machine and sat down on the bench. He drunk the whole can and tried tossing it toward the trash. It hit the rim and bounced off onto the ground. He let out a groan, but then turned his attention back to Hope. "So what about you? You and Light got any plans?"

Hope was a little nervous about the question as he glanced back at Snow. He then turned his eyes toward the sky. "There's not really anything going on between us." Sure he thought that he and Lightning had some moments, but because of the promise he made, he didn't really consider them together or thought about their future. "We should probably go now. Hopefully Light and Serah made it there by now."

"All right." Snow stood up and started walking along with Hope. Suddenly, they heard a sound from above them. They stopped concerned and looked around to see what was going on. Above them, a ship flew by and spotted them. "Run!" Hope warned Snow. Hope and Snow tried to run, but the ship shot toward them. The power from the shots fired blasted them both off of the edge of the building they were on and made them fall down below. During their fall, they both hit some boxes that were stacked below and then hit the ground. Soon, both of them fell into unconsciousness.

From across town, Serah and Lightning could see the explosion from the buildings and started to get worried. "Snow!" Serah called out.

Lightning looked over toward Serah. "Come on. Let's hurry." They took off running. Lightning ran as fast as she could, worried that the soldiers had found Hope and Snow. She hoped that they were okay. _"Hope."_

On the ground, Snow began to wake up. Pain coursed through his body as he closed his eyes tight. He pressed his hand to his stomach as he struggled to stand up. His eyes traveled over to see Hope lying on the ground on his stomach. He kneeled down and shook him to try and wake him up. "Hope." he called out a few times. Eventually, he heard a groan and Hope began to wake. Snow helped him to stand up by placing Hope's arm over his shoulder. Hope closed his eyes tight as he placed his other hand against his stomach. He felt an intense pain. "Hold on. You'll be all right. Seems like we took a little detour."

"We need to make it back to my house without the soldiers seeing where we're going-." As Hope spoke, Snow could hear the pain in his voice.

"Don't worry. We won't. Think you can get back up there?"

Hope lifted his head and saw the wall they had to climb to get back to where they were. When he looked up toward the sky, the ship was no longer there. He assumed that either the soldiers thought they were dead or since the ship was too big to fit through, they would probably send soldiers on foot to search for them. "I'll try."

Snow helped Hope over to the wall. Both of them began to climb up. It was a struggle especially with their pain, but they managed to make it up to the top. Both of them rolled on the roof with their eyes closed and breathing hard. After catching his breath, Snow stood up. Hope looked over to see Snow's hand in front of him. "Here. Better not let those guys figure out we're still alive."

Hope nodded and grabbed his hand to stand. Snow leaned over as the pain in his stomach was starting to come back. "Are you okay?"

Snow put his thumb up as he grinned. "Sure! I'll make it through. It's not that bad." Hope placed Snow's arm over his shoulder and helped him to walk. "You don't have to do that."

Hope smiled toward him. "I'm sure that Serah would want me to make sure that you were okay."

Snow closed his eyes as he smiled. "I guess so. Can't disappoint the misses."

It was a challenge, but they kept walking. After getting some distance, they both stopped tired from walking. Hope placed Snow down, sitting against the wall. Snow closed his eyes as he held his head down. His body was still in pain from before. Hope walked over toward the edge and looked to see how far they were from his house. They seemed like they were still a ways off. Hope let out a sigh. His body was still in a little pain from the fall before.

Suddenly, a creature flew up from below. Hope's eyes widened in surprised. The last thing they needed was something else attacking them. Snow stood up and leaned against the wall. Hope looked back noticing him starting to get up. "What are you doing?"

"Helping out. What else?"

"No. You're already hurt. I can handle this." Hope pulled out his boomerang and threw it toward the creature. He tried to send an electro shock toward it, but it didn't affect it. Instead, he saw it conducting lightning. At this point, the shock he sent would only help it. His only other alternative was to use the gunblade that he had with him. He shot toward the creature, but it wasn't enough. The creature sent an attack toward him which he dodged. He tried to think of a way to stop it. The creature attacked again and hit the ground in front of him. The force of the attack knocked Hope back onto the ground. Hope lifted his head to see the creature growl as it kept flapping its wings. It soon got ready to attack again. He wasn't sure if he would be able to block the attack again.

All of a sudden, something had hit the creature which made it cry out. Hope looked over to see Lightning and Serah rush out. Serah attacked with arrows and Lightning shot toward it. Hope was surprised to see them already there and stood up to his feet. "Light! Serah!"

Lightning kept her eyes on the enemy and kept shooting toward it. "Seems like you could use a hand."

Serah looked back at him. "Good! You're all right. Where's Snow?"

Hope walked in between them. "He got hurt so I told him to stay out of it. This thing is going to be hard to get rid of."

"Well if we're going to live, then we have to try." Serah continued shooting toward it with arrows.

Lightning and Hope shot with their gunblades. The creature attacked toward them, but Lightning ran forward avoiding it as Hope and Serah jumped separate ways.

Lightning lifted her eyes to the creature and got an idea. "Hope!" He looked over surprised and went over toward her. "Give me a boost." Hope kneeled down. Lightning placed her foot in his hand and he threw her up. With her gunblade, she stuck it into the creature's chest hoping that she would hit something that would kill it. She struggled to pull her sword back out. She was able to get her sword back and landed on the ground. The creature cried out in pain as it flapped its wing, but still it fell down toward the ground below.

Hope and Serah sighed in relief as Mog changed back to normal. Serah then turned and saw Snow sitting on the ground unconscious. "Snow!" She ran over to his side to check on him and Mog followed behind her.

Hope and Lightning looked over before they turned and looked at each other. "Are you okay?" Lightning asked concerned.

"Yeah. Just hurt…a little." As he was talking, Lightning checked on him. At one point, she pressed her hand against his side which made him wince in pain. After she stopped, Hope smiled a little. "I'm glad to see that you made it through okay."

"We saw the explosion nearby." Lightning's eyes glanced over at Snow who Serah was checking on. "He seems to be in bad shape."

"Don't worry. We're fine. At least as fine as we can be."

A look of concern showed through her. The same worry from earlier. Quickly, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him with her eyes closed. Hope was surprised by her sudden action. "What-?"

"I'm glad that you're safe." Her soft spoken words traveled through his ear. When she saw the explosion, she didn't know whether or not he was okay, but once she saw that he was still alive, a wash of relief came over her. She was glad.

Soon, he relaxed against her, returning the hug back just as tight. His head became buried against her shoulder as he closed his eyes. "You too. I'm glad that you're safe too." he whispered.

After a few seconds, they parted as they opened their eyes. As she stared into his eyes, she placed her hands on the sides of his face. Gently, her thumbs caressed across his skin. She pulled him toward her and pressed her lips against his. Deeply, they exhaled. Their kiss was filled with a mix of emotions, expressing their content of being with each other again, gratefulness that the other was okay, and worry of what could come. His hands stroked the sides of her face near her ears and underneath her pink hair.

As Snow began to wake, Serah noticed that things were quiet and wanted to see what the others were up to. Since she got Snow to wake up, they could continue to where they were headed. When her eyes traveled over, she saw the scene going on between her sister and Hope. At first, she smiled, but knew it was time to go before something else happened. "All right you two." She stood up. It had been a long time since she saw them like that. "You can have fun later."

Overhearing Serah, Lightning and Hope stopped and looked over. For a second, they forgot where they were and knew Serah had a point. Serah grabbed onto Snow's arm and started helping him to stand. "I could use a little help here with Snow." Lightning and Hope went over and each put an arm of Snow's onto their shoulders to help him walk. They began heading toward Hope's old home.

Nearby, two people were standing higher up watching what happened with the five below. One was a man that wore black armor on his body and had purple hair with feathers on the side. Beside him was a shorter girl with long blue hair and a petite frame. The man crossed his arms. "You know where they're going right Yeul?"

The girl nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Then everything will be set by later tonight. What happened to that other girl? The one who led us to find them?" The man thought about earlier that day when Alyssa was supposed to lead the soldiers to capture Lightning and Serah.

"That girl. She is dead now. Killed by the very woman we're after." Yeul answered him.

Inside, the man became interested. "I see."

Yeul's eyes drifted over to him. "Cauis…?"

Cauis took off walking. "Come Yeul. We've spent enough time here." Yeul turned and walked after him. He would let the ones they were after have their moment of feeling safe for now.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Find out what happens next time! As always, let me know what you think and I'll be back to update!_

_**On a side note:** I wanted to inform all readers that I have recently started a blog on tumblr to display fanart for the stories and talk more about the stories I have out or coming out. I posted the link at the top of my profile page. I hope that you will please check it out! Thank you! _


	22. A Moment Of Peace Broken

_**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Thank you for keeping up with the story, sending in reviews, and adding this to your favorites and alerts! I hope that you will like this chapter of the story! A lot is going to happen!_

* * *

_Chapter 22: A Moment of Peace Broken:_

It wasn't long before night set over the city of Palumpolum. Lightning and the others managed to make it to Hope's house before the sun settled. Inside, Lightning stepped into the living room and looked around as she was on lookout. The place brought up a lot of memories. That summer when they had fun and spent time away from Eden. A brief smile came on her face as she thought back. Those were good memories. Soon, she looked through the windows, but it didn't seem as if there were enemy ships around or soldiers. After checking around, she headed into the hallway to check on the others.

Hope had offered for Snow to stay in his parents' old room, hoping that it would make things more comfortable. In the room, Serah was sitting on the edge of the bed as Snow was lying down with bandages wrapped around his stomach and his eyes closed. Lightning leaned in the doorway with her arms crossed. "How's he doing?"

Snow placed his hand against his head. "Better as long as I don't move." Serah looked over and smiled at him.

Lightning noticed her smile and then her eyes traveled to Snow. "You'll be fine. You have Serah looking after you." Her eyes drifted toward the ground, thinking about something else she wanted to say. Now would be the best time to do so. "I wanted to thank you for keeping your promise of taking care of Serah."

Snow grinned. "It was no problem! I'm always going to look out for Serah no matter what."

In response to his comment, Serah smiled. "Just like I'll look out for you too."

Lightning sighed as she closed her eyes. It was nice to hear even if it was a little cheesy. "Anyway, I guess I'll keep checking the area."

Snow sat up on his hands. "Don't worry about it. Me and Serah can do that. Besides, we were thinking of finding some food around here. I'm starving."

Serah nodded and grinned. "I can hear his stomach from all the way over here."

Lightning thought that Snow should rest, but decided not to argue against it. Serah was still with him. "All right."

"Hey Light?"

Before Lightning left, curiously she looked over at Snow. "What?"

A thought came to Snow's mind while she was still there. "You know? I was thinking. Both Hope and Serah know your real name. When do I get to know it? You are going to be my sister someday."

Lightning thought about it. Eventually, he would probably find out whether she told him or not, but why not make him wait a little longer. A slight smirk came to her lips. "I might let Serah tell you…someday." She left the room as she heard a groan from Snow. The sound made her smile. She walked through the house and went to the opposite end where Hope's room was along with the guest room across the hall that Serah and she stayed in before. She thought about checking in on him to see what he was up to and if he figured out how to call for help. Now was probably the perfect time. Not only to see what was going on with him, but to say some things that were on her mind. She knocked against his door.

"Come in." she heard through the door. She opened his door and walked in. "It's me."

Hope lifted his head to see her close the door behind her. "Hey!"

Lightning leaned against the door. "Hey."

Hope gave a slight smile. "How is everything?"

Her arms crossed underneath her chest. "It seems fine I guess. There's nobody around. Everyone else seems fine."

Hope thought that was good to hear. That gave them more time to do what they needed to. "That's good."

Lightning looked at the communicator in his hands. "Any luck on trying to figure out how we can get out of here?"

There was a look of disappointment to his expression. "Not really. I think our communications have been cut off. I'm getting some kind of interference. We might have to find another way."

Lightning closed her eyes. "Great." She sounded disappointed as well.

Hope smiled a little. "It's not all bad. At least we're okay for now."

"Hmm…" Lightning hoped that they would be okay for now. She looked down toward the ground, thinking of what she needed to tell him. "I know…who's been helping PSICOM find us."

Hope looked surprised and interested. "What? Who?"

Lightning didn't know how he would react, but thought he should know. She lifted her eyes to him. "It was your assistant."

After she told him, Hope didn't react much. Stunned, he sat on his bed. "How do you know?"

"She found Serah and me here in Palumpolum. I thought it was strange how she found us here so soon after we just got here. Turns out, she's been letting PSICOM know your every move. She's been tracking the ship before we crashed. She was the one who released the soldiers to try and kill us with that bomb."

Hope looked toward the ground. "I can't believe it."

Lightning's eyes traveled toward the floor. "Something else happened."

Hope wondered even more. "What?"

"When she confronted us, she tried to attack us. She tried to shoot us so I had no choice."

Hope took a moment to let the story sink in. She didn't have to say what happened next. "Is she dead?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah. I also couldn't risk her following us or telling PSICOM where we would go next."

Hope stood up and walked over to her. At that moment, she couldn't tell how he was feeling. He seemed somewhat upset by the news. He placed his hands on her arms with a look of concern. "Are you and Serah okay?"

"We're fine. We weren't hurt."

Hope closed his eyes as he sighed with relief. "That's good." He lifted his eyes to her. "Hey! You did what you had to do. I just can't believe I didn't see this before." Hope turned away from her as he began pacing around. He pressed his fingers to his chin as he looked toward the floor. "She worked so close to me. With unlimited information at her disposal, she could have told the Fal'Cie anything."

Lightning leaned off of the door and walked forward toward his bed. "Whoever could protect her from the Purge that was all she wanted. She believed that you would protect her. If not, she could turn to the Fal'Cie."

Hope glanced over at Lightning before he sighed. "It's over now. My main concern right now is not letting you be taken by the Fal'Cie."

"That's…actually what else I wanted to talk to you about." Lightning thought it was a little funny that he mentioned that because it brought her to her next point. For a while since Hope found her again, she had been thinking about what to do, but finally she made a decision.

Hope turned to her curious after she turned silent. "What do you mean?"

Questioning herself one more time, she remained serious and unwavering in her choice. Her eyes lifted up to his with a confident, piercing stare. "I want back into the contract."

At first, her words left Hope speechless. Was she seriously saying what he was thinking? "…What?"

Lightning stepped in closer to him. "The contract that our parents drew up years ago. I've decided. I want to still stay in it."

Hope stared at her in surprise. He still couldn't believe that she changed her mind. "What-? What made you change your mind?"

"A lot of things, but I do want to do this. I want what's going on to stop." She lifted her head to look up at him. "So what do you say?"

A gentle smile came on his face. "Yeah. You sure about this?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

A little more his smile grew. "You know that means that you have to-?"

A smirk came on her face. "You mean the part where I kick out the government?"

"Well yeah but I mean-."

"Oh! You mean the part where we have to come together and I have to be nice to you for the worlds' sake?"

"I guess if you want to say it like that, but yes the part where we come together in marriage." Then, his eyes traveled toward the side as his smile faded away.

Lightning noticed and looked concerned. "What?"

"I didn't complete my promise to you." Through his voice she could hear his regret.

Lightning shook her head as she closed her eyes and turned her head toward him. "Remember. You said that if I wanted to, I could push things along."

"I also said if you trust me completely." he reminded her.

"I do." Her eyes drifted toward the ground. "I shouldn't have blamed you for what happened. You didn't do anything wrong and I was wrong for accusing you of something like that."

Hope smiled, happy to hear her say that. "Okay." He walked over and pulled opened a drawer that was near his bed. He pulled out a rolled piece of paper.

Lightning was curious as to what he pulled out. "What's that?"

"There were very few paper contracts made between both of our families. My guess is that the one in Eden might be destroyed or hidden somewhere, but I kept one hidden here just in case." He stood over at her side and pulled it open so that she could read it for herself.

"Can't we just sign this and present this to the Fal'Cie?"

Hope shook his head. "It will not be that easy. Along with our signatures, we also need proof that we carried through on everything here."

"In other words, people need to know that we are really married."

"Exactly. Things won't go into effect until we complete that first. It was so that our families would make sure that we wouldn't back down on their deal and neither one of us tried to take over the other's government."

"That would make sense." Lightning replied. Hope rolled the contract up and placed it on top of his dresser. "You want to know something?"

Hope looked over once he heard Lightning speak. "What's that?"

"If it wasn't for what's going on now, I don't think we would really need the contract."

The fact that she said that made him more curious. "Why?"

As much as she tried to hide the bit of nervousness dwelling inside of her, it still showed through her face. "Because…I…" She relaxed and looked over at him. "I would have married you without a contract regardless."

Her words brought a big smile to his face. He was touched that she said that. Soon, he stepped over and placed his hands around her waist. "I'm…glad to hear that."

In return her arms wrapped around his neck. For a few moments, she stared up into his emerald eyes. Her mind and body giving into the feelings she felt long ago and even now. Her heart felt the courage to say what she wanted to a while ago. "I love you." she spoke softly between them.

Instantly, a smile came to his face. "I love you too."

She leaned in as her eyes closed and hungrily pressed her lips against his. Her back leaned against the wall while they were still connected. He stepped in, pressing his body close to her. Her hands pressed against his chest. The only thing separating her hands from his skin was the thin white shirt that he had on with a few buttons undone at the top. Her fingers traced against the middle of his shirt and began unbuttoned the rest. Once she loosened his shirt, Hope parted from her. Her hands continued to rub against his chest. Lightning's eyes lowered and saw the bruises on his stomach from the fall he took earlier. She pressed her fingers on his sides. "Does it still hurt?"

When she pressed near his bruises, he could feel a little pain. "Not as much as before, but it's okay." Soon, his eyes lifted up to her, still wondering what she was doing earlier. As he waited to see her next move, he stared silently.

"You sure?" she asked again. She didn't want to cause more pain for him.

Hope nodded. "Yeah."

Through his eyes, she could see how sure he was. Her eyes traveled between his eyes and his lips before she moved in and kissed him again. Her hands slipped in underneath his shirt and began to pull it away from his shoulders. The kiss between them grew heated. No longer did he hold back. He grabbed her waist, pulling her in close. She walked forward as he walked backwards. Before he knew it, his legs had hit something and made him fall back. He sat down on his bed, bouncing against it a little. He looked up above him to see her standing in front of him. "Wait! How do I know you won't pull away this time?"

She kept her eyes on him as she loosened the buckle in front of her jacket. Afterwards, she tossed her jacket off to the side. A smirk came across her lips as she kneeled on his bed before him. "I guess you'll have to find out won't you?"

* * *

Inside of the kitchen, Snow searched through the cabinets and fridge to see if there was anything that they could eat for now. The most he could find was some cans that were still edible. "Well! Here's dinner!"

"Hope and his family haven't been here for a long time." Serah looked toward the ground as she was standing beside him, thinking. "So haven't Lightning and I."

Curiously Snow looked over. "Yeah? So… you haven't explained exactly what was going on? Why is the Fal'Cie after you?"

Serah sat on the counter as she grabbed onto the edges of it. Now was a good time as any to tell him while they still had peace around. "Well... A long time ago before we lived in Bodhum, we used to live in Eden. Our mother and father were both Primarchs over Cocoon."

After only a few seconds of listening, Snow was already stunned. He knew that Serah and Lightning didn't talk much about their past, and that their parents were already gone like his, but he didn't expect them to be the rulers of Cocoon. "Wow…! I guess it is true what people have been saying then."

Serah gazed toward the ground. Thinking back to the past had brought up some sad memories. "There was an attack on Eden which caused me and Lightning to end up in Bodhum. We've been hiding out for a long time because we were afraid the Fal'Cie would do something just like they're doing now."

Snow's eyes drifted to the side. This had explained a lot. Another question came to mind. "I see. So how do you guys know Hope? He told me a few things."

Serah smiled. "Years ago, there was war between Pulse and Cocoon so our parents and Hope's parents came up with this agreement that the two governments would be combined into one and for that to happen they arranged for Hope and Lightning to be married."

Snow's eyes widened. A little more he could understand the relationship between Lightning and Hope. "Wow! That explains a lot! That's a crazy story."

Mog rubbed his hands together. He learned more about the two also. "Crazy indeed kupo. With royalty around, the riches are bound to be endless kupo!"

Serah shook her head as she grinned. "Sorry to disappoint you Mog, but I don't think that the riches will be endless." Serah stepped down from the counter.

Snow became curious to another thing. "I never asked. How did you find this little guy?" He looked over toward Mog flying nearby.

As she thought back, Serah smiled. "It was a while back in Bodhum. Lightning was the one who found him."

Mog held up his head determined. "I wanted to prove that I was the strongest kupo! Nothing was going to defeat me except…" His head dropped a little in disappointment. "Lightning kind of did kupo…"

"Since Lightning found Mog alone, she offered for him to stay with us or… really… he followed her and I had to convince her to. He really helped us out." Serah explained.

"Kupo!"

Snow looked over to Mog. "Where did you come from?"

"I'm not sure kupo. I'm not sure how I ended up in Bodhum either kupo." Mog sounded saddened. Then, he looked over at Serah. "But Mog is happy staying with Serah and Lightning kupo."

"We're happy too Mog." Serah walked over toward the stove and with Snow, started cooking some of the food they found. After they were done, Serah looked over to him. "Hey! We should probably see if Hope and Lightning want anything."

"Yeah." Snow agreed.

Serah traveled toward the end of the hall where the doors to Hope's room and the guest room were closed. Her hand grabbed onto the doorknob and opened the door. When she peeked inside, her expression changed into surprise. Mog flew over beside her. "What is it kupo?"

Inside of the guest room, she saw the two beds that they shared together that summer were empty. She thought that if Lightning went to rest, that she would be in there. "She's not here." Her eyes turned over to the other door that led to Hope's room. "Maybe she's with Hope." She stepped to the door and was about to knock, but she heard Mog's voice. "The room's dark kupo."

Serah looked over at Mog that was sitting on the floor. From underneath the door, he could see it was dark. Serah placed her fingers to her chin, curious. Everything was quiet. "Hmm…" She headed back into the kitchen. Snow noticed the contemplating look she had on her face. "What's up?"

Serah lifted her head once she heard Snow's voice. "Just wondering where Lightning went. I didn't see where she went after she left. I doubt that she would leave the house."

Snow smiled. "I'm sure she's fine."

Serah sat down on one of the stools that were at the counter. "You're right."

Mog flew over and sat down on the counter in front of a bowl. "Probably just fell asleep kupo. It's been a long day kupo."

Serah picked up her fork and put it toward her bowl. Her head leaned on her head. "You're right. Just hard to imagine Lightning sleeping at a time like this. Usually, she's the one keeping a look out."

Snow looked over from his food. "If we can, we should probably do the same."

Serah nodded, agreeing. "With at least one of us looking out. I'll sleep in the guest room. I guess there's an extra bed now."

A smile came to Snow's face as he thought of an idea. "I could stay there too if you want."

Serah grinned. "And leave the comfortable bed you were just lying in?"

Snow shrugged. "I could get use to a change."

"And where do I sleep kupo?"

Snow smiled over toward Mog and pointed back. "You want the big comfortable bed?"

Mog placed his hand to his head, thinking about it. "Hmm…"

Suddenly, they saw the only light they had on in the kitchen starting to flicker in and out until it gave out completely. They looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Snow stood up from his chair. "What's going on?"

Something flew in and broke the window. Snow leaned over Serah and pulled her down with him onto the floor. "Get down!" They hid in behind the counter. From around the corner, Snow peeked over and saw soldiers beginning to break in. "Great. Now they decide to break in. Didn't even get a chance to finish dinner."

"Mog." Serah whispered loudly as she looked over toward him. Mog understood what she meant and transformed into a bow. She leaned in from around the corner and got ready to shoot. By then, the soldiers already stepped into the living room. She shot at them and knocked some of the soldiers down. Snow rushed in and punched some of the soldiers down. He grabbed one of their guns and fought along with her. They managed to get the area cleared for now.

All of a sudden, more shots fired at them from far away. Quickly, they ducked and kneeled down toward the wall. They leaned back to stay out of sight. Snow placed his hand to his stomach as he closed his eyes tight. Serah looked over and noticed that he was in pain. She started to get worried. "Just stay behind me. I'll hold them off." She got ready to attack and pointed her arrow toward the window, ready just in case the soldiers came in.

Soon, a lot more started coming in. She was about to shoot them when she suddenly saw them fall before her. She was surprised. When she looked over, she saw Lightning walk out from around the corner with her gunblade pointed and shooting, wearing everything but her jacket and everything else that she wore on her arms. The expression on her face did not seem like a happy one. If anything, it seemed that she looked irritated. With ease, she shot each of the soldiers as if it was nothing.

One soldier got ready to approach her, but was quickly shot down. Her eyes traveled over to Hope standing beside her, wearing his white shirt, pants and boots. He kept his boomerang hidden in his shirt in case he needed it. They walked over to where Serah and Snow were and kneeled down as their backs were pressed against the wall. Lightning closed her eyes. "They couldn't just give us one night?"

Serah looked over and smiled, glad they were there. "What took you guys so long?"

Silent at first, they both looked at Serah before they looked at each other. "Sleeping." they both replied.

Lightning glanced over at Hope before she looked at Serah. "Sorry about that. We both must've fallen asleep."

"I figured. I'm just glad that you're here now." While things were quiet, Serah took the opportunity to check on Snow and to make sure that he was doing okay.

Lightning kept her eyes toward the windows as Hope looked toward the front door. "What now?" Hope asked.

Lightning kept her focus and ready to attack just in case soldiers came in. "I doubt that they gave up already. They're just waiting for the right moment to attack us."

A slight smile came to Hope's face as he glanced over at Lightning. "You must've been sleeping well. I heard them break in before you did. I actually had to wake you up."

Her lips curved into a smirk. "I was. I haven't slept like that for a long time."

Hope moved in closer to where he was somewhat leaning against her. "That's good."

For a few seconds, she allowed herself to turn her eyes away to look at him. She gave a smile only visible to him. "Maybe next time I could use your help. Getting to sleep I mean."

Silently, he grinned. "Sure. I think I can help next time."

Gently, she placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in. Their kiss was quick but passionate. Serah stood up and looked over toward the screen doors. "Lightning?"

Lightning stood up and went near the screen doors. She peeked around the corner and looked up toward the sky. "There's a ship outside. I don't understand it. What are they waiting for? They just stop attacking us."

Serah looked back toward Hope. "Isn't there anyway we can get out?"

"Without being seen? I don't know. The only other way out is the front door."

Outside, Lightning saw a man land on the ground and began walking toward the house. He was dressed differently from the other soldiers in armor she hadn't seen anyone wear before. On his back, she could see a huge, dark sword. Lightning shot toward him, but her shots didn't seem to faze him or his armor. At first she was surprised, but then quickly thought of another way to stop him. She aimed and shot at him again. It seemed as if the shot pierced his forehead. Seconds later, he fell onto the ground. Lightning was a little on edge since it was easy to take out the mysterious man. Still, they had to get out of there. She looked over toward the others. "We need to go now. We'll see if there's anyone at the front door and then-."

Suddenly, at the corner of her eye she saw the man step into the house. Her eyes widened. She thought for sure that she killed him, but yet he was moving around as if nothing happened. Before she could say anything, he knocked her hard against the wall where the others were. Serah and Hope attacked, but he just used his sword to block them. The man approached Serah and grabbed her arm. He pulled her up from off of the ground.

"Serah!" Hope called out as he rushed after her.

Lightning started to get worried as well. "Let her go now!"

The man held out his hand and casted a gravity spell. He forced Hope's, Lightning's, Snow's, and Mog's backs to hit the ceiling as hard as he could. Each of them let out a grunt from the pain they felt. When Lightning opened her eyes, she saw the man staring up at her. A smirk appeared on his face to rile her. As soon as he stepped outside, the spell wore off and dropped three of them on the ground. Mog flew over to them. "Are you all right kupo?"

Angry, Lightning pushed herself up on her hands and got up. She ran outside. The man stood outside in front of a few soldiers and handed Serah over to them. "Here. Don't let her out of your sight." Serah struggled, but they had a tight grip on her. When the man looked over, he saw Lightning standing with her gunblade in hand. He smirked. He had her right where he wanted her. Lightning got ready to attack. "Let go of her now."

"Hm. If I don't?"

Lightning rushed toward him. Her sword was blocked off by his sword. She pushed him back and clashed her sword with his several times. She planted her foot against his stomach making him bend and grab his stomach. She was about to attack, but suddenly everything froze around them. The man stood up straight and walked behind Lightning. His lips curved into a smirk. He released his stop on time. When Lightning looked, no longer was he in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him reach for her. Quickly, she dodged away before he could touch her. _"What? I didn't even see him move."_

In a flash, he appeared in front of her again. She jumped back, but he caught up with her. He grabbed her by her sweater near her neck and threw her against the ground. Serah looked worried. "Lightning!" She tried to rush over to her, but the soldiers wouldn't let her go.

Lightning closed her eyes tight, but soon stood up to her feet. The man sent a dark wave toward her. Lightning placed her gunblade in front of her, but the force was too much. She flew back and her back had hit the wall of the house behind her. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground. "I believe that's enough. After all, we can't have you look a mess."

Out of the corner of his eye, the man noticed something fly toward him. Upset, he caught it in his hand what tried to hit him. When he looked over, he saw the boomerang as it began to spark off. "Pathetic." He threw it back.

Hope caught it. He kneeled down beside Lightning ready to attack again. She sat up beside him, still in pain from that last attack. Hope pressed down on his teeth as he saw the man approaching them. "Are you okay?"

Lightning groaned and picked up her gunblade from her side. The man walked in closer. "Since you are here, you will die as you are supposed to." The man pointed his sword toward Hope.

Lightning looked upset. "Who are you?"

"My name is Caius Ballad. You will be coming with me along with that other girl."

Hope pulled out his gunblade from his side and flipped it out to its sword form. Caius got ready to attack, but Hope held off his attack. Lightning moved in and tried to strike him, but Caius dodged out of the way.

Across the way, Snow sneaked up while the soldiers were distracted and knocked them down. Mog flew to Serah and transformed into a sword. She helped Snow attack the soldiers and knock them down. Caius noticed and became upset. "Enough of this playing around. It's time to end this." Quickly, he appeared in front of Hope. Hope's eyes widened as his body froze. Caius's sword was coming right at him. At that moment, he thought that it would be the end.

Suddenly, Caius's sword was pushed away. Both of them looked toward the side to see Lightning holding him back. She managed to push him back and then kick him away. "Are you okay?" Lightning kept her eyes on Caius.

"Ye-yeah." Hope stuttered out, still getting over his fear of what almost happened.

Caius sent another dark wave toward them. Lightning pushed Hope aside onto the ground. "Move!" She ducked down onto the ground opposite from him, letting the attack hit the wall of the house. When Lightning looked over, her eyes widened. In front of her, Caius was standing in front Hope with his hand wrapped around his neck. Hope's eyes were closed tight as his feet were a few feet off of the ground. "Let him go!" Quickly, she grabbed her gunblade and rushed toward them.

Caius's eyes drifted over to Lightning. "Only if you come with me." He placed Hope back to his feet and released his hand from around him. Hope placed his hand to his neck regaining his breath. Caius reappeared back in front of Lightning which made her stop in surprise. Caius grabbed onto her arm. "If you don't, I'll kill everyone here." He forced Lightning to turn along with him. Caius blocked Hope's attack from his sword with his own. Caius pushed Lightning away and held out his hand toward Hope. His magic sent Hope flying back through the screen doors and onto the floor of the house.

"Hope!" She was about to run to check on him, but Caius stepped in front of her. "For now, he is still alive, but if you do not come with me, he will die." Caius casted more magic and threw Snow and Mog back into the house. Serah rose in the air and floated over the ground below.

Angry, Lightning turned to Caius, wondering why he was doing this. "What do you want?"

"You and the other girl will come with us to Eden."

Lightning grew suspicious. "And what do you plan to do once we get there?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see. If not-." Suddenly, Serah began falling.

Lightning's eyes widened and ran toward the edge. "Serah!"

"Drop your weapon and I'll bring her back."

Lightning stopped. As much as she didn't want to give in, she believed that he was serious about killing everyone there. She looked back to see if he was watching and tossed her gunblade aside onto the ground. Caius walked over and kicked it away so that she wouldn't try anything. Soon, Serah was brought back and landed safely on the ground. The ship that was in the air came toward the edge. "Let's go. Both of you."

Serah looked over to Lightning worried. "We can't just leave them here."

There was a serious look on Lightning's face. "Not much of a choice. If we stay here, he'll kill them." She turned and began walking away. Serah followed behind, hoping that Hope, Mog, and Snow were okay. Lightning and Serah boarded the ship as soldiers had guns pointed toward them. Soon, they took off further into the sky. Caius smiled as soon as they were far enough and looked toward one of the soldiers. "Do it."

"Yes sir." The soldier unleashed two missiles. They both hit the house causing an explosion of fire to the place. Soon, the land began to tilt as fire spread throughout the house. Serah's eyes widened as she saw what happened out of a window along with Lightning. "No!"

Lightning couldn't believe it. Anger filled her for Caius going back on his word. She stepped over to Caius and punched him in the cheek. The force of her punch made his head turn. "You liar! You told me if we left, you would leave them alone!"

A smirk came on Caius's face as he laughed a little. He stood up straight. "You'll get away with that this time. What did you expect? One of those men broke the rules of Cocoon. I've been given orders to kill him on sight. Maybe if he wasn't apart of Pulse, I might have let him go. You must be very upset over this. I can see the anger growing inside of you."

"You bastard!" She was about to attack him again, but Serah grabbed onto her arm. "Lightning don't!"

Lightning looked over at Serah. Through her expression, she saw that Serah wanted her to let it go for now. Caius smiled seeing that Lightning wasn't going to fight him. "Take them away. Make sure they don't try anything."

The soldiers followed behind Lightning and Serah and brought them to a holding cell. They locked them inside and stood guard at the door.

Inside of the cell, Lightning stared toward the floor with her arms crossed over her stomach. As time passed, she thought about what happened and what would be to come. When she opened her eyes, she glanced over at Serah. Serah held her head down as she stared forward. Lightning could tell that she was still grieving over what happened. Inside, she was as well.

Suddenly, Serah felt something softly touch her shoulder. She turned her head and looked at Lightning who had a look of sympathy. "Lightning-."

"I know Serah. I know." Lightning whispered. Her fingers stroked Serah's pink hair for comfort. Serah turned to her and wrapped her arms around her. She leaned her head on Lightning's shoulder as she closed her eyes. Tears began to slowly form in her eyes until she couldn't hold back. Lightning rubbed her hand against her back to comfort her. She leaned her head on top of Serah's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should've found a way to save them."

"It's not your fault. You thought there was a chance that you could save them instead of them being killed right in front of us. I'm sorry too."

Lightning closed her eyes. She still wished there was a way she could have saved them. Now she didn't know what was to become of her and Serah.

* * *

_That's it for this chapter. As always let me know what you think and I'll be back to update._


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